Plum Island Light is ready for visitors

PLUM ISLAND — Friends of Plum Island Light will again welcome visitors to the Newburyport Harbor Light at Plum Island Point.

This year, in addition to being open for tours, three special events are planned. The annual members meeting on June 23 will give an intimate look at living in a lighthouse. Special cruises are also planned for July and August.

Here are the details:

June 23: Annual members’ meeting at PITA Hall, 8 Plum Island Blvd., Newbury, MA. After the meeting, Jeremy D’entremont, well known lighthouse historian, will present a video show called “Jenny’s Island Life,” about Jenny Cirone’s life as a keeper’s daughter living on Nash Island. The program is sure to be fascinating.

July 11: Lighthouse boat cruise aboard the “Captain’s Lady,” from Plum Island Point heading south to Boston Harbor, viewing lighthouses as we go. Tickets are $40. The boat departs at 9 a.m. and returns at 5 p.m. For questions and reservations, call Barbara at 978-462-4770.

Aug. 15: Dinner cruise catered by Starboard Galley will leave from Plum Island Point at 5:30 p.m. and go to the Isles of Shoals where we should be able to view the lighthouse at sunset. The meal, all cooked at sea, includes grilled steak tips, shrimp, Caesar salad, pasta salad, cheese and fruit, strawberry shortcake and more. Tickets are $45. Please try to reserve tickets no later than July 30, 2004, by calling Barbara at 978-462-4770.

The Newburyport Harbor Light, also known as the Plum Island Light, dates back to the 18th century when lighthouses were an integral part of maritime life. Newburyport was an important shipping port at the time, but shifting channels at the mouth of the Merrimack River often made it dangerous to navigate.

Mariners asked the General Court of Massachusetts to authorize the building of two small wooden lighthouses on the north end of Plum Island. They were finished in 1788. A year later, both lighthouses were ceded to the federal government.

In 1790, President George Washington signed a document appointing Abner Lowell as the first keeper of the Plum Island Lighthouse. Lowell was the first of three generations to serve as keeper of the lighthouse.

Due to shifting sandbars on Plum Island, the original towers were built on movable foundations so that their positions could easily be changed. The lighthouses were only accessible by boat and were often battered by storms. Construction of the present day lighthouse was completed in 1898.

Visitors can learn more about the rich maritime history of the Plum Island Lighthouse this summer, when it will be open for tours on the following dates from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., weather permitting. Please do not wear sandals. There is a minimum height requirement for small children.

Plum Island Lighthouse tour dates:

Sunday, June 13

Sunday, June 27

Sunday, July 18

Saturday, Aug.7

Sunday, Aug. 22

Sunday, Sept. 5

Sunday, Sept. 19

Sunday, Oct. 3

Sunday, Oct. 17

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