Straitsmouth Island Light Station

1906 photo of 315-foot walkway, oil house and keeper house

Straitsmouth Island Light 2023 [photo: Jerry Gladstone, Rockport]

Brief History of Straitsmouth Island

Straitsmouth Island, a few hundred yards from the mainland, is home to Straitsmouth Island Light which is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. With 30 acres of granite, scrub and wind tolerant trees, it has a dangerous reef at the eastern end of the island which creates a unique habitat for coastal birds, fish and seals. But shipwrecks have claimed many lives over the centuries.

Native Americans first came to Straitsmouth Island to gather eggs and feathers from its bird colony in the warm months. Centuries later, in 1614, English explorer John Smith “discovered” Straitsmouth along with Thacher and Milk Islands.

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The first lighthouse was built on Straitsmouth Island in 1835 to mark the entrance to Rockport Harbor and the dangerous reefs of the Salvages and Avery's Ledge. It was replaced in 1851 with one that was closer to the ocean and had a walkway to provide easy access from the keeper’s residence. The present Keeper House was built in 1878, and the current 37-foot tall lighthouse was constructed in 1896.

This lighthouse was maintained by resident keepers and the Coast Guard until the early 1930s when the light was automated by power supplied from the mainland via an underwater cable. The Keeper House fell into disrepair.

In 1967 the island (except for the lighthouse) was donated to Mass Audubon, which maintains it as a wildlife sanctuary. In 2010 the lighthouse and the 1.8 acres of land around it were transferred to the Town of Rockport by the National Park Service. The light and foghorn are now solar operated.

The Keeper House was restored in 2017 and the walkway between the house and the tower was rebuilt in 2022. Straitsmouth Island began welcoming public visitors in 2019 – for the first time in 180 years!

Learn how you can visit Straitsmouth Island. Click on Visit Us.