Nantucket's Fall Ferry Schedules Posted

While Labor Day marks the unofficial end to the summer season, the appeal of Nantucket hardly comes to a close. Enjoy the amazing fall foliage during a hike on Sanford Farm or visit the island's signature cranberry bogs. Find your fall ferry here.

Nantucket's Lighthouses

The Steamship Authority "spotlighted" Nantucket's three lighthouses in its August e-Newsletter. Read it below . . . and to subscribe to the SSA's monthly e-News, click here.

Nantucket is home to three picturesque lighthouses; Brant Point Light, Sankaty Light, and Great Point Light. The ever-shifting battalion of sandbars, or shoals, lurking beneath the waters that surround Nantucket have caused between 700 and 800 shipwrecks in recorded history. These beacons of safety have been guiding mariners into harbor for centuries.

Brant Point Light

Brant Point Light was built on the island of Nantucket in 1746. It was a wooden structure built on Nantucket Harbor. It was replaced several times over the years as it was destroyed by fire or storm. The first brick tower was built in 1856 and was lit on December 10th of that year and bore a Fourth order Fresnel lens that beamed a fixed light. Although this structure still stands, because of erosion a new tower was built in 1901. It was only 26 feet tall and was again constructed of wood. It was fitted with a Fifth order Fresnel lens. Some years later, the light would be changed to a flashing red so that it was more easily differentiated from the lights of the town.

Brant Point Light is still guiding mariners today. Although its flashing red light is only 26 feet above sea level, it can be seen ten miles out to sea. When you visit Nantucket, it is one of the first things you see as the ferry rounds Brant Point and heads into the harbor. You can walk to the grounds on which it stands but the lighthouse itself is not open to the public.

Sankaty Light

Built in 1850 of brick, Sankaty Light is located on Sankaty Head in Siasconset and stands 70 feet tall. The lighthouse was originally fitted with a Second order Fresnel lens, making it the first in the United States to have one of these lenses. The fixed white light that it emitted could be seen for 20 miles out to sea and was called by fishermen 'the blazing star'. The name of this lighthouse is derived from the language of the Native Americans who lived on Nantucket, the Wampanoags. Their word "sankoty" means highland, and even erosion hasn't changed the appropriateness of that name.

If you want to visit the lighthouse, leave Nantucket Village by Milestone Road and head out to Siasconset. When you reach the rotary, take Sankaty Avenue to Butterfly Lane and turn right. When you reach Baxter Street, turn left. At the end of Baxter, you will see where the original light was and the new one 400 feet from the original site.

Great Point Light

In 1785 the first lighthouse was constructed on what was then called Sandy Point and was made of wood. It was destroyed by fire in 1816 after which a 60-foot stone tower was built and finished in 1818. In 1857 a third order Fresnel lens was installed and in the 1950's, the light was automated.

As erosion began to threaten the lighthouse, Islanders appealed to the Coast Guard to move it inland. The request was rejected and in 1984, the lighthouse was destroyed. Because of the efforts of Senator Edward M. Kennedy, federal money was made available to build a replica of the original light some 300 yards from the old site. It is made of concrete and plastic and stands 60 feet high. A solar powered white light flashes every five seconds. 

You can reach Great Point from Nantucket Village by traveling east to Polpis Road and then turning north on Wauwinet Road. You will need a four-wheel drive vehicle and a permit to travel the seven miles from Wauwinet to the lighthouse.

Nantucket's August Calendar of Events

Click here for a day-by-day look at August events on Nantucket, courtesy of the Nantucket Chamber of Commerce.