The Point Gammon Light was a lighthouse that stood on its eponymous point at the south end of Great Island in

West Yarmouth, Massachusetts West Yarmouth is a census-designated place (CDP) in the town of Yarmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,012 at the 2010 census. Geography West Yarmouth is located in the southwest quarter of the town ...

, on the east side of Lewis Bay and the entrance 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 ...

. Long inactive, it was converted into an

ornithological Ornithology, from Ancient Greek ὄρνις (''órnis''), meaning "bird", and -logy from λόγος (''lógos''), meaning "study", is a branch of zoology dedicated to the study of birds. Several aspects of ornithology differ from related discip ...

observation tower An observation tower is a tower used to view events from a long distance and to create a full 360 degree range of vision to conduct long distance observations. Observation towers are usually at least tall and are made from stone, iron, and woo ...

in the late 19th century.

History

The area around Gammon Point is particularly treacherous, and a petition to

Congress A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...

led to the construction of a stone tower on the same lines as the

Race Point Light Race Point Light is a historic lighthouse on Cape Cod, in Provincetown, Massachusetts; it is on the National Register of Historic Places. The original tower, first illuminated in 1816, was replaced in 1876 with the current 45-foot tall iron-plate ...

. A stone keeper's house was also erected on the site. This tower's light was first lit on November 21, 1816, and kept by Samuel Peak; he was succeeded by his son John, who remained at the station until its closure. The tower was modified somewhat over time, with a brick extension raising the focal height to . Traffic through the port was heavy, and it was decided to build an offshore tower to replace a lightship at a nearby shoal. This lighthouse, the Bishop and Clerks Light, rendered the Point Gammon Light obsolete, and the latter was deactivated in 1858, the year the new tower was first lit. John Peak moved briefly to the new station but served there only a year. The abandoned tower remained standing at the point, and with vandalism and other damage there was some thought of demolishing it, though this never came to pass. Instead, the tower was sold in 1872. In 1882 Great Island was purchased by Charles B. Cory, the ornithologist, for use as a game preserve and bird sanctuary. He restored the tower and added a structure on top for bird-watching, replacing the long absent lantern; the keeper's house was used to house his butterfly collection. Cory lost his fortune in a stock market crash, and in 1914 he sold the land to

Malcolm Greene Chace Malcolm Greene Chace (March 12, 1875 – July 16, 1955) was an American financier and textile industrialist who was instrumental in bringing electric power to New England. He was a pioneer of the sport of ice hockey in the United States, and was ...

, a banker from Rhode Island; the property containing the old light has remained in the family since. In 1935 the keeper's house was dismantled and the stone reused to build a small house elsewhere on the island. The tower itself was updated in the 1970s for use as a summer house, with a new chamber set atop the old stone tower for use as a bedroom. The altered tower remains at the point, though it has not been lit as an aid to navigation for over 150 years.

References

{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1816 Lighthouses in Barnstable County, Massachusetts 1816 establishments in Massachusetts Yarmouth, Massachusetts