East Chop, MA - $$4.95
In 1869 Captain Silas Daggett erected a lighthouse at East Chop, the eastern point of Vineyard Haven Harbor, and operated it privately for seven years. Donations from local merchants paid for upkeep of the light. This structure burned in 1871 but Daggett rebuilt it as a light atop a house. The government purchased the land and lighthouse in 1878 and built a new keeper's house and present cast-iron structure.
East Chop Light House, Martha's Vineyard, Ma
In 1869 Captain Silas Daggett erected a lighthouse at East Chop, the eastern point of Vineyard Haven Harbor, and operated it privately for seven years. Donations from local merchants paid for upkeep of the light. This structure burned in 1871 but Daggett rebuilt it as a light atop a house. The government purchased the land and lighthouse in 1878 and built a new keeper's house and present cast-iron structure.
The East Chop Lighthouse is an easy 5 mile bike ride from the ferry pier at Martha's Vineyard and through some beautiful oceanside scenery. We visited it in October .
The keeper's house and oil house were removed in 1934 when the station was automated. The original Fresnel lens was replaced by a plastic lens in 1984. From 1962 to 1984 the lighthouse was painted a reddish-brown, earning it the nickname "Chocolate Lighthouse". Today only the tower remains, painted a more traditional white and exhibiting a three-second green flash, visible for 15 miles....
East Chop Lighthouse at Martha's Vineyard, MA
The keeper's house and oil house were removed in 1934 when
the station was automated. The original Fresnel lens was replaced
by a plastic lens in 1984. From 1962 to 1984 the lighthouse was
painted a reddish-brown, earning it the nickname "Chocolate
Lighthouse". Today only the tower remains, painted a more
traditional white and exhibiting a three-second green flash, visible
for 15 miles.
In 1986 the Vineyard Environmental Research Institute became responsible for the maintenance of the East Chop light. The license was transferred to the Dukes County Historical Society in 1993, along with licenses for Gay Head and Edgartown Harbor lights.The Society periodically opens the lights to the public in summer months.
