The Hyannis Rear Range Light, also known as the Hyannis Harbor Light, was a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

and, for part of its life, one of a pair of

range light Leading lights, also known as range lights in the United States, are a pair of light beacons used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; they may also be used for position fixing. At night ...

s adjacent to

Hyannis Harbor Hyannis Harbor is a harbor of refuge located in the village of Hyannis Port, MA. The North East side of the harbor is located in the village of Hyannis. Hyannis Harbor extends on shore from the southerly point where the breakwall makes landfall to ...

. The Range Rear tower was built in 1849 and equipped with a 5th order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

in 1856. In 1863 the original birdcage lantern was replaced with a new cast iron one. In 1885, a front range light was added on the Old Colony Railroad Wharf, and the two lights together served to leading vessels to the wharf. The 20 foot Range Rear tower is shorter than most lighthouses, as its purpose was just to guide ships to the wharf. In the early 1800s, the railroad extended from its current terminus at the Hyannis Transportation Center, down what is now Old Colony Road (named after the railroad) to Harbor Road, where it ended in the 300 foot wharf that was a busy area for shipping coal, lumber, grain and fish. Over time, as the channel into the adjacent Lewis Bay was dredged deeper, there was a shift of traffic into Lewis Bay and Hyannis inner harbor, and the wharf fell into disuse. The lights were discontinued in 1929 and the front range light has disappeared along with the wharf, although the outline of the wharf can still be seen in aerial photographs. The lantern was removed from the rear light before it was sold. In 1987 a new, much larger lantern room was added to the top of the tower by local carpenter Theodore Ingemanson. The lighthouse is now privately owned but can be seen on Google Street view or directly from Harbor Road in Hyannis.

Keepers

* Daniel Snow Hallett (1849–1851) * James Bearse (1851–1853) * Almoran Hallett (1853–1861) * Franklin Baker (1861–1869) * John Lothrop (1869–1878) * Alonzo Lothrop (1878–1899) * John Peak (1899–1915) * Waldo Leighton (1915–1929)

References

Lighthouses completed in 1849 Lighthouses in Barnstable County, Massachusetts 1849 establishments in Massachusetts {{US-lighthouse-stub