Name and Location

The Great Point Light, also known simply as "Great Point Lighthouse," is an active aid to navigation located at the northern tip of Nantucket Island, Massachusetts, USA. Its official name is listed in the Massachusetts GIS lighthouses dataset (Office of Geographic and Environmental Information – MassGIS). The coordinates are 41°23′24.3″ N, 70°02′53.8″ W (decimal 41.3900783, –70.0482628), and it can be found on NOAA chart reference Chart 13219 (Nantucket Shoals).

2. Construction and History

The first light was established in 1784 with a wooden tower, one of the earliest in the United States. The original lighthouse was replaced by a stone or cast-iron tower in 1818. In 1864, the tower was rebuilt in brick. However, on July 30, 1984, the brick tower catastrophically collapsed under storm surges and beach erosion. A new skeletal steel tower was erected by the Coast Guard in 1986.

3. Architecture and Materials

The current lighthouse features a functional skeletal tower with an octagonal steel framework on a concrete foundation. The construction materials used are prefabricated steel segments bolted together, with a concrete footing set into dune sand. The height of the tower is approximately 89 ft (27 m) above base, while its focal height is 112 ft (34 m) above mean high water.

4. Light and Navigation

The lighthouse features a DCB-36 aerobeacon (rotating) with a characteristic flashing white every 15 seconds (Fl W 15s). The nominal range of the light is 16 nautical miles (about 30 km). The light is fully automated since the commissioning of the steel tower in 1986 and is remotely monitored. The lighthouse is listed in the USCG Light List Volume I (Atlantic Coast) and is monitored by the USCG's Automated Identification Systems (AIS) network for status reporting.

5. Accessibility and Visiting

Access to the lighthouse is remote, requiring a four-wheel-drive vehicle with a permit from the Nantucket Conservation Foundation. Guided tours are not available, as the tower is fenced and not open to the public for climbing. Visitor facilities are limited, with no restrooms or visitor center on site. However, visitors can enjoy panoramic views over the Atlantic Ocean and Coskata Creek estuary from the beach south of the tower at sunrise.

6. Notable Views and Landscape

The surrounding environment features sandy beaches, dunes, bay salt marshes, and a frequently shifting shoreline that requires periodic foundation monitoring. The area is also home to the Coskata-Coatue Wildlife Refuge, which protects barrier spits with migrating shorebirds and seals in winter.

7. Anecdotes and Folklore

Local lore tells of phantom lights seen offshore near the old brick ruins, dubbed the "Ghost of Great Point." Several 19th-century shipwrecks occurred just north of the point, including the schooner Edda (1894) and the barkentine Atlantic Maid (1902).

8. Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is owned and maintained by the United States Coast Guard (District 1) as an active aid to navigation. The light is listed in the Massachusetts GIS lighthouses dataset (Office of Geographic and Environmental Information – MassGIS).