Welcome to Our Beautiful Island
 
Standing one hundred and sixty feet above the sea, the twin lighthouses of Thacher Island have stood guard over the coasts of Cape Ann ,Massachusetts , since 1771.
Anchored firmly on granite ledge, they overlook a fifty acre island, set three quarters of a mile off-shore from the Town of Rockport and its picturesque harbor. Providing support to these sentinels of the sea are a complex of keeper’s quarters, trails, oil houses, granite storage buildings and slate roofed oil house and barn. A landing ramp and boathouse provide access to the island, and a network of railroad tracks and trestles, complete with a turntable was used to haul coal and oil to the old whistle house, where steam was used to generate the powerful fog signal.
 
Scenic trails take the visitor past rugged granite ledge, old graveyard, and high gravel bluffs overlooking cobble beaches. In the spring, the island is home to nesting colony of Herring Gull and Great-black-backed Gulls, and nests filled with eggs and chicks abound. The North Tower , which has been restored and relighted by the Thacher Island Association, with the help of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, is accessible and open to the visitor. From the catwalk or lamp room, scenic vistas unfold, from the Boston skyline thirty-five miles to the southwest, to the shores of New Hampshire , and the peak of Mount Agamenticus on the coast of Maine to the north-west.
The South Tower is still operated as an official aid to navigation by the U.S.Coast Guard and its blinking red light may be seen for miles.
These towers are America's last and only operating twin lighthouses and mark a very significant time in our country’s maritime history. The Cape Ann Light Station at Thacher Island has been designated a National Historic Landmark by the U.S.Interior Department’s National Park Service. It is one of fewer than 2400 such sites in the nation joining the ranks of others including the USS Constitution, Fanuiel Hall, and the United State Capital. We are proud of our island and hope you can visit soon. Meanwhile take a tour through this web site and learn more…
       
 
 
     
       

 


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