1849: A Blazing Debut for a Lighthouse in Massachusetts

August 30, 1849

In the Acushnet River in southeastern Massachusetts, a lighthouse at the entrance to the harbor of the city of New Bedford first went into service. This navigational aid was installed at Palmer Island, which is on the west side of the route into New Bedford Harbor.

Palmer Island Light was built by a mason named Charles M. Pierce. The lantern within this structure was first lit by William Sherman, who served as its inaugural keeper. Sherman continued in this role until 1853.

The lighthouse was built in the first place to help safely guide the ever-growing number of ships making their way to and from New Bedford, which had become one of the major ports for the whaling industry in the United States by that point in the 19^th century.

An official inspection report on Palmer Island Light in 1850 stated, “Tower of the light-house built of stone, and tight; dwelling is of wood and somewhat leaky; lantern is a good one, and the whole taken together is a fair piece of work.”

Palmer Island Light, which was automated in 1941, remained in regular service until being deactivated in 1962. On March 26, 1980, this 23-foot (seven-meter)-tall lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Photo Credit: John Phelan (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/deed.en)

For more information on Palmer Island Light, please check out https://www.usbeacons.com/lt.cgi?lighthouse=Palmer+Island+Light