Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse
Summer 2008: Vol. 40, No. 2 | Pieces of History
This plan of Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse, one of many for the structure, shows the tower as it was built.
Federal administration of lighthouses dates from the earliest days of the U.S. government. The ninth act passed by the First Federal Congress in 1789 transferred 12 state lighthouses to federal hands.
In 1852 Congress created the Lighthouse Board to improve aids to navigation and prepare “plans, drawings, specifications, and estimates of cost” of structures connected with lighthouses. Today, the National Archives holds well over 20,000 lighthouse plans, with many lighthouses represented by more than 100 plans each.
One notable lighthouse that is documented by more than 80 drawings is the Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse.
Minot’s Ledge, part of the Cohasset Rocks, sits about 20 miles southeast of Boston Harbor. Since the late 17th century, ships had met with deadly ends on the treacherous rocks. After repeated petitions, Congress appropriated funds to build a lighthouse in 1847. In 1849 a 70-foot-tall iron screw-pile structure was completed.
Within two years of its construction, the violent conditions around Minot’s Ledge had destroyed the new lighthouse. Two assistant keepers were killed in the storm that swept the lighthouse off the ledge.
A new, sturdier tower made of stone was begun in 1855. It was a formidable task—waves swept workers off the rocks several times during construction. The new light went into service in 1860.
Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse acquired a distinctive nickname in the 1890s. The rotating light flashed in a pattern of 1-4-3, reminding seagoers and those on land of the words “I love you.” It has since been known as the “I love you” light.