See a 160-year-old lighthouse on the move
The historic structure is being moved 135 feet back from the coast.
For 160 years, the Gay Head Lighthouse has been protecting boats from getting too close to the Martha’s Vineyard coast. But three years ago, lighthousekeeper Richard Skidmore noticed a different sort of danger looming from his post.
The clay cliffs that make up the New England coast were being eroded by the waves, bringing the cliff edge closer to the brick structure and threatening to send the historic lighthouse tumbling into the ocean.
So the surrounding town is moving it.
Beginning Thursday, the lighthouse, which was first built in 1856 and is on the National Register of Historic Places, is being relocated 135 feet back from the coast.
Adam Wilson, town administrator for Aquinnah on the island, said it would cost $3 million to relocate and restore the lighthouse. The town had to apply to the government to acquire the lighthouse, which was still Coast Guard property.
The money was raised not only in Aquinnah—a town of only 311 people—but from other island towns, and even people across the country chipped in.
“I think people on the island really identify Gay Head as being truly one of the great iconic landmarks of the Vineyard,’’ Wilson said, adding that people everywhere “love lighthouses.’’
The lighthouse move was set to start in June, but favorable weather and speedy excavation work around the foundation put the project ahead of schedule.
Wilson said that the 400-ton brick building and its foundation were lifted onto steel cross beams. Hydraulic jacks and other steel beams used as a sled process will slowly move it an inch every few minutes. The full 135-foot move will take a couple of days. You can watch a live stream here.
At its new location, the lighthouse will retain its same elevation level, providing a good vantage point for the beam.
“It still continues to be an active aid to navigation,’’ said Wilson.
And it will be for years to come.
“This move predicts that where it’s being put, in relation to soils and geological surveys, it won’t need to be moved again for another 150 years,’’ he said. “When you look at certain places on the Vineyard that people have fond memories of, this lighthouse is something they identify with.’’
See pictures from the Gay Head Lighthouse move:
[bdc-gallery id=”331967″]
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