The present Newburyport Harbor Light carries on a proud tradition that began in 1788 shortly after the end of the Revolution when two small wooden lighthouses were erected on Plum Island. Local merchants, concerned about the safety of vessels entering their busy harbor, had asked the General Court of Massachusetts to authorize the building of the lighthouses in order to aid mariners in negotiating the often dangerous channel at the mouth of the Merrimack.

Specifications called for two lights rather than a single tower because of the constantly changing conditions at the river mouth. The towers placed on moveable foundations could be aligned to guide vessels through the shifting sandbars surrounding the channel. Two lights remained the rule until the 1890’s when the channel was stabilized by the building of the jetties.

The twin lighthouses, the 11th on the North Atlantic coast and the 13th in America when they were build, were ceded to the federal government in 1790, and it was George Washington, himself, who appointed Abner Lowell as the first light tende, the first of three generations of Lowells to hold that post.

Along with the keeper’s house, the lighthouse complex included a signal tower from which flags could be hoisted to alert those on the mainland when a pilot was needed or when a ship was in distress off Plum Island’s treacherous coastline. At night or in times of reduced visibility, an alarm gun provided by the Merrimack Humane Society was used to summon help.

The keeper’s life was often hazardous, and Lewis Lowell, the second light tender, died at his post. In an attempt to keep the light burning on a night of extreme cold, he had lighted a charcoal fire under the lantern to prevent the oil from congealing and was overcome by asphyxiation.

Plum Island was the scene of many shipwrecks and the keeper was often actively involved in rescue operations and in providing shelter for survivors. Until 1806 when the toll road was completed and a hotel built at the Center, there were no other occupied dwellings at the northern end of the Plum Island. Not until the first Life Saving Station was build in 1874 was there another source of help for mariners in distress at this end of the island. As late as 1881 the Merrimack Humane Society provided Keeper Henry Hunt with a lifeboat and oars for rescue purposes.

Storms could be threatening to both keeper and the lighthouses. In 1806 the twin towers were both temporarily disabled when toppled by a “whirlwind” which left them on the ground facing opposite directions. And a severe winter gale in 1839 nearly washed away one of the towers. Keep Phineas George reported that it was nearly impossible to reach the Eastern light as the sea was “…flowing above the blockings.”

The twin lights were rebuilt in 1838 and were again placed on moveable foundations.

In 1855 a smaller tower, known as the Bug Light, was added to the complex. The following year, on August 8th, 1856, one of the original twin lighthouses was destroyed by fire during a thunderstorm and was not replaced. That same year the remaining lighthouse was equipped with a Fresnel lens.

Over time the sandspit that formed the ocean side of the Basin continued to grow, leaving the remaining lighthouse farther inland than was desirable. In 1869 this tower and the Bug Light were relocated one thrid of a mile northeast across the Basin to what was then known as “New Point.”

In 1874 the lighthouse was moved again, this time a short distance southward to the present site. Here it served until 1898 when it was replaced by today’s structure, a 45ft wooden conical tower rising 50 ft. above sea level. It is believed that the lantern and lens were transfered from the older, octagonal tower. For many years this 4000 candle power Fourth Order Fresnel light, visible for twelve miles, has been a familiar beacon to mariners along our coast.

Over the years the light has been powered by a variety of oils, but in 1927 electricity replaced kerosene, which had been the fuel of choice since 1878. Since 1951 the light has been unmanned and fully automated. In 1981 the lens was fitted with a green plastic cover, and it is now a 15 second green light with a 2-second occlude. It remains under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Coast Guard which took over the light from the Bureau of Lighthouses in 1939.

The Newburyport Harbor Light was designated a historical light in 1981. It is now on lease from the City of Newburyport