Ten Pound Island Light

Ten Pound Island Light stands as a 30-foot tall cast iron conical tower painted white with a black lantern top, built in 1881 to replace the original 1821 stone structure on the same site.

The lighthouse was originally constructed in 1821 with a stone tower, then replaced by the current cast iron structure in 1881, and was automated in 1934 after serving over a century of maritime navigation.

The lighthouse gained artistic recognition through paintings by renowned American artists Winslow Homer and Fitz Henry Lane, who depicted the original stone tower in their maritime works, establishing its place in American coastal art.

The lighthouse operates with an isophase red light flashing every six seconds, reaching a focal height of 57 feet and providing navigation assistance up to five nautical miles for vessels entering Gloucester Harbor.

The island once housed a U.S. Fish Hatchery from 1889 to 1954 and served as a Coast Guard air station during Prohibition in 1925, demonstrating its diverse historical functions beyond maritime navigation.

Location: Gloucester

Inception: 1821

Height: 9 m

GPS coordinates: 42.60186,-70.66556

Latest update: July 25, 2025 20:49