what's thereThis bedrock outcropping (3 acres upland; 4 acres intertidal) is one of the Brewsters, a group of the outermost islands in the park. It is an active Coast Guard navigational aid facility, so the buildings are not open to the casual visitor and there are no public rest rooms on the island. A carry-in/carry-out policy applies to all trash.
For more information about the facility, please go to the National Park Service Maritime Heritage Program Inventory of Historic Light Stations. Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities has produced a "MassMoment" about the light.
Operating Hours & Seasons
The Boston Light tower is open for group tours during spring, summer, and fall by arrangement only: call 617-223-8666. Little Brewster Island is open to private boaters on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM for drop-off and pick-up only --- No docking. Boaters must anchor off shore.
Operating Hours & Seasons
The Boston Light tower is open for group tours during spring, summer, and fall by arrangement only: call 617-223-8666. Little Brewster Island is open to private boaters on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 12:30 PM to 3:00 PM for drop-off and pick-up only --- No docking. Boaters must anchor off shore.
short historyLittle Brewster best known as the home of the Boston Light, the country's oldest continually used lighthouse site (1716).
Originally financed by a tax of a penny a ton on all vessels entering and leaving the harbor, the stone lighthouse was largely destroyed by the British when they evacuated Boston at the close of the Revolutionary War, but was rebuilt in 1783. In 1859, the tower was raised 14 feet to its present height of 102 feet above sea level, enabling its light to flash 27 miles out into the Atlantic.
By 1990, the Coast Guard had automated every lighthouse in the United States, with the Boston Light scheduled to be the last in the process. Preservation groups appealed to Congress and the Coast Guard. Funding was appropriated to keep Coast Guard staff on the island, where they remain to this day, recording meteorological data in addition to maintaining the light and structures on the island.
managing agencyThis island of Boston Harbor Islands national park area is managed by U.S. Coast Guard, First District.
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