Name and Location

Palmer Island Light, also known as Palmer Island Beacon, is located on Palmer Island at the mouth of Outer New Bedford Harbor in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States.

Construction and History

The original wooden beacon was erected by the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment in 1849. In 1890, a current brick tower was built to replace the earlier structure. The light was deactivated in 1962, and since then, it has been maintained as a Private Aid to Navigation under U.S. Coast Guard oversight.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse is a short, square brick tower with a flat roof (no gallery) standing on a granite block pier set on a submerged granite crib. The tower measures 29 ft (9 m) above the base, with a focal height of approximately 30-35 ft (9-11 m) above Mean High Water.

Light and Navigation

The original lens was a sixth-order Fresnel lens, with a light characteristic of fixed white (F W). The nominal range was approximately 6 nautical miles. The lighthouse is currently deactivated, but it maintains a skeleton daymark and a private solar-powered light as a Private Aid to Navigation under USCG permit.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse does not have public access or open tours. Visitors can reach the island by private vessel or kayak from New Bedford waterfront marinas, with visible views of the structure from the mainland shoreline at Cove Street Park and offshore boat tours.

Notable Views and Landscape

Palmer Island sits just off the abrupt granite shorelines that flank New Bedford's western harbor entrance, surrounded by open water and occasional moored pleasure craft. The low brick tower rises from a square granite pier, with notable views of Clark's Point to the north and industrial piers of New Bedford Harbor to the east.

Anecdotes and Folklore

Local lore speaks of a "Keeper's ghost" seen lamp-tending on stormy nights, although this has not been verified. In 1932, President Franklin D. Roosevelt's special fishing cruise passed the light, with crew reportedly waving from the break of the pier.

Technical and Operational Details

There is no automation or AIS/radar equipment installed at the lighthouse.

Further Information

• For further information, visit the Massachusetts GIS Lighthouses Catalog (http://mass.gov/mgis/lighthouses.htm), U.S. Coast Guard Light List, Volume I (Atlantic Coast), NOAA Chart 13216 (New Bedford and Buzzards Bay), or Wikipedia article (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palmer_Island_Light).