Name and Location

Ned's Point Light, also known as Ned's Point Lighthouse, is a picturesque aid to navigation located at the entrance to Mattapoisett Harbor on Buzzards Bay in Massachusetts, USA. The address is 50 Ned's Point Road, Mattapoisett Center, Mattapoisett, Plymouth County, Massachusetts 02739.

Construction and History

Ned's Point Light was authorized by Congress in 1837 and first established with a wooden tower and oil lamp in 1838. The current tower was erected between 1891 and 1892, replacing the original wooden structure. The light was automated in 1973, leading to the removal of the original lens.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse has a pyramidal skeletal tower typical of late-Victorian utilitarian design. It is constructed from cast-iron tower sections bolted together on a concrete foundation. The tower stands 35 feet (10.7 meters) tall, with a focal height of 39 feet (11.9 meters) above mean high water. The paint scheme features a black tower and a white rectangular daymark with "NED'S POINT" stenciled in black.

Light and Navigation

The lighthouse exhibits a flashing white light three times every 15 seconds, visible for 14 nautical miles. Originally, it displayed a 4th-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced by a modern acrylic beacon upon automation. The current optic is a VRB-25 marine beacon (acrylic lens).

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse is open to the public via Ned's Point Town Park, with no admission fee. The park hours are from dawn to dusk daily. Facilities include parking areas, picnic tables, benches, fishing piers, and restrooms (seasonal portable units). Visitors can reach the site by following Ned's Point Road west from Route 6.

Notable Views and Landscape

The lighthouse offers a panoramic sweep of Buzzards Bay, with views of the Elizabeth Islands to the south and Mattapoisett harbor basin to the east. The surrounding landscape features a rocky outcrop, grassy picnic lawns, and oak-and-pine windbreaks.

Anecdotes and Folklore

Local lore tells of a 19th-century keeper who kept an ornate parlor inside the original wooden tower base, with stories of visitors arriving by boat for tea. Some reports also mention "ghostly lantern flashes" on foggy nights, likely reflections from passing vessels.

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is actively maintained by the U.S. Coast Guard (Light List number 1-275) and day-to-day site care is managed by the Town of Mattapoisett Parks Department as part of Ned's Point Town Park. The nautical chart reference is NOAA Chart 13215 (Buzzards Bay, MA).

Further Information

For further reading and references, consult the U.S. Coast Guard Light List, Volume I (Atlantic Coast), 38th Edition; NOAA Chart 13215, Buzzards Bay, MA; Lighthouse Friends website; Wikipedia; MassGIS historic lighthouses dataset.