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.
East Chop Light House
East Chop Lighthouse, located on a bluff overlooking Vineyard Haven Harbor in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, was originally established in 1869 as a private aid by Captain Silas Daggett, who built a wooden structure with a lantern to guide vessels, operating it for seven years before selling it to the U.S. government in 1875 for $1,600. The current 40-foot cast-iron tower, painted white with a black lantern, was constructed in 1878 at a cost of $5,000, featuring a fourth-order Fresnel lens flashing white every six seconds, visible 9 nautical miles, and standing 79 feet above sea level. Automated in 1985 and now managed by the Martha's Vineyard Museum since 2017, it includes a one-and-a-half-story keeper's house built in 1878; the site, once a semaphore station from 1828, has aided navigation through Vineyard Sound's busy waters. Known locally as the "Chocolate Lighthouse" for its original brown-red paint until 1988, it attracts visitors for sunset views and tours, symbolizing the island's maritime history and resilience against coastal erosion. This historic beacon remains an active Coast Guard aid and a cherished landmark.