We’ve seen them on the horizon, these white, stalwart structures. Perhaps we’ve taken a moment to wonder who has lived there, if it’s haunted, if it’s still functioning. And why is it there in the first place?
We’ve imagined lonely lighthouse keepers, monitoring tides and storms, watching as waves crash against the rocky shores of these small and mysterious islands. Grateful, though, for their years of protecting ships and travelers from the same fate as those waves.
In Rockport, the Thacher and Straitsmouth Islands Association is charged with the maintenance of two beloved islands and their historic lighthouses. Until speaking with Bill Whiting, president of the association, and Paul St. Germain, avid historian and president emeritus, this writer did not fully appreciate the significance of lighthouse lore, the passion and sacrifices made by lighthouse keepers, or the deep pride with which the association undertakes its mission.
We admire lighthouses from a distance yet can anyone visit? In fact, the islands are very accessible during late spring through early fall and can be a fun kayak or canoe paddle. Visitors and Association members can also reserve a spot on the town’s launch. There’s even a robust U.S. Lighthouse Society Passport Program where members celebrate and commemorate their achievements, collecting stamps of accomplishment with each visit and engaging with fellow enthusiasts. It’s a vibrant community, complementing the work of the Association, through education and engagement.
Whiting shared the story behind the islands, the structures, and the team of extraordinary volunteers whose devotion to nautical history and the town of Rockport itself, where the islands are found, is inspiring. The Association’s mission is to raise awareness of the islands and the funds to maintain them. Thacher Island is a National Historic Monument, thanks to St. Germain and his diligence. “That application started my writing career, if you will,” he laughs. Straitsmouth is on the National Register of Historic Places.
“We have a legal and moral responsibility to keep the islands as well preserved as we can,” Whiting states. The Association works in tandem with an equally passionate Thacher and Straitsmouth Island Town Committee. Volunteers share their expertise in landscaping, carpentry, engineering, electronics, grant writing and fundraising—all working together under the belief that the islands are a treasured part of Cape Ann’s maritime legacy and a magnet for cultural tourism.
How many of us have canoed or kayaked out to an island, climbed a lighthouse or camped in its shadow? More than this writer appreciated. [For more on planning your own lighthouse adventure via kayak, see On the Water, page 28 and the Association’s website.]
Whiting also shared that Thacher Island was named for Anthony Thacher, who in 1635, along with his wife, children and other family members, were sailing from Ipswich, Massachusetts, to Marblehead, Massachusetts, when they were caught in a violent storm. Thacher and his wife, the only survivors, were washed ashore on the island. In memoriam to his loss, the Massachusetts Bay Colony actually gave Thacher the island, though he never lived there, settling south of Boston instead.
“The original lighthouse was built by the British government before the revolution. It was replaced several times, most notably in 1860 when the Twin Towers were both built. They were built simply because of the significant number of shipwrecks.” Whiting continues, “This was the first time a lighthouse was constructed to warn ships of a reef. Up until then, lighthouses would mark the entrance to a harbor. The government needed something to prevent more shipwrecks and the two towers are aligned in a perfect north south axis.”
A lighthouse keeper’s life was hectic—and even included farming. “There was produce, cows, sheep, goats. A lot of their food was locally sourced so they wouldn’t have to go into town.” Thacher Island often had several keeper families working together. Maintaining the tower’s Fresnel lens was challenging in and of itself. “That’s one of the most rewarding things we’ve done over the years, is to get our hands on the original Fresnel lens at the Coast Guard Museum in New London, Connecticut,” Whiting adds. “They changed their exhibits and offered it back to us. We worked with the Cape Ann Museum to bring it back. It’s remarkable. It’s the most interesting piece of industrial art you can imagine.”
Art is also found in the phenomenal views a lighthouse vantage provides. “We just finished a two million dollar project to restore the railings and a lot of the metal work inside and outside [Thacher’s north] tower to make it safer for people to climb those 159 steps to go up on the parapet and actually go outside on the parapet and walk around the outside of the tower, which is about 160 feet above the water. You get a fabulous view of Boston on the south side, and the view of Maine and Mount Agamenticus on the north side,” says St. Germain, author of Twin Lights of Thacher Island, Cape Ann—one of ten books he’s penned yet perhaps none as close to his heart.
Today, visitors include historians, lighthouse hunters, photographers, artists—and romantics proposing marriage against the backdrop of salt air, seagulls and history itself. If pride could power the lighthouses on Thacher and Straitsmouth islands, it would, for generations to come.
