**AVAILABLE LIGHT:** The federal government is looking to divest itself of Boston Light on Little Brewster Island, the country’s oldest lighthouse station off the coast of Hull. The historic lighthouse is just off the northern edge of the peninsula; Point Allerton is in the foreground. [Richard W. Green photo]

By John J. Galluzzo

On Monday, August 3 – the day before Coast Guard Day and four days before National Lighthouse Day – the General Services Administration announced that the federal government is looking to divest itself of the country’s oldest lighthouse station off the coast of Hull.

“The U.S. General Services Administration today announced a unique opportunity for eligible organizations to acquire, at no cost, the historic Light Station Boston, commonly known as Boston Light, on Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor,” stated the announcement. The report erroneously stated that “At 310 years old, Light Station Boston is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the United States.”

While the country’s first lighthouse began operation on Little Brewster Island in 1716, it was blown up in 1776 during the American Revolution. The current lighthouse was built in 1783. The site is the oldest light station in the United States. The oldest lighthouse in the United States is the Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey.

“GSA is dedicated to the responsible stewardship of our nation’s assets, and that includes preserving significant landmarks like Light Station Boston,” said Acting Public Buildings Service Commissioner Michael Gelber. “It is fitting, as we continue to celebrate our country’s 250th birthday, that we protect and preserve this national treasure for the enjoyment and education of future generations.”

The full property includes Little Brewster Island and six structures: “the lighthouse tower, a boathouse, a keeper’s house, a sound signal building, a cistern building, and a small oil house.” At this time, according to the announcement, federal, state, and local agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and community development organizations may apply for ownership of the historic light station; it will be offered for private sale if no public or non-profit owners step forward by October 2. The Coast Guard would retain responsibility for maintaining the beacon and fog signal.

Aside from its long operational history, awash in tales of storms and shipwrecks, Boston Light has been, since 1989, a shining symbol of the dedication of the American lighthouse keeper. Faced with the prospect of automation and the loss of human keepers at the site, preservationists called out to Senator Edward Kennedy for help. Kennedy sponsored an amendment to that year’s Coast Guard Reauthorization Bill to keep the station permanently manned. The light was automated in 1998, but keepers remained on duty until the retirement of Sally Snowman in 2023.

“Boston Light is not just a historic site,” said Gary Thomas, executive director of the Foundation for Coast Guard History on Tuesday. “It has been a living history site enjoyed by the public for many years. We at the Foundation for Coast Guard History strongly support new ownership that will protect its historic character, ensure responsible long-term care, and keep it meaningfully accessible to the public. The transfer of ownership offers an opportunity to preserve an irreplaceable part of our maritime heritage while maintaining the public access and educational value that make the site so memorable to so many.”

Thomas warns, though, that “Any acquisition effort should recognize that securing title to the light and its associated structures is merely the first step, often the easiest. Keeping a historic lighthouse standing is only part of the responsibility. To be successful in the long term, the new owner will have an obligation to ensure that the site remains historically authentic, financially sustainable, and interpreted in a way that allows the public to understand and experience its significance.”

“Boston Light is a national treasure and the crown jewel of Boston Harbor,” said lighthouse historian Jeremy D’Entremont on Tuesday. “The historic value of the place as the first light station on the continent is clear. The beauty of the place is also indisputable. My friend, the late Ken Black, ‘Mr. Lighthouse’ and founder of the Maine Lighthouse Museum, once said to me that Boston Light is ‘what a lighthouse should be.’ When the average person hears the word ‘lighthouse,’ they’re likely to conjure an image of something much like Boston Light in their mind’s eye: a graceful, white, stone tower on a small rocky island.”

Like Thomas, D’Entremont calls for a thoughtful approach to the light station’s preservation. “My hope is that Boston Light will find the steward it deserves through the NHLPA process,” he said. “The Coast Guard’s attention, dictated by their mission and budget, has been focused on the light’s importance to navigation rather than its role as a maritime icon and National Historic Landmark. Boston Light needs someone who fully appreciates what a magical place it is and who will work to make it publicly accessible again. Boston Light has long been a front door to Boston, and it’s time to put out the welcome mat.”

D’Entremont admits, too, that “for me and so many others, there’s a strong emotional attachment. My association with Boston Light goes back to the late 1980s when I helped give tours on the island for the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands. What a special privilege it was to have the opportunity to tell people about the history, the keepers, the lens technology, and more. I know that the love I feel for Boston Light is shared by so many local residents and lighthouse fans everywhere.”

The sale of Boston Light follows other recent divestitures of area lighthouses by the federal government. In 2013, a Boston-area businessman paid $933,888 for Graves Light, and in 2014, Minot’s Ledge Light was sold at auction to a private owner for $222,000.

For property details and application information on Boston Light, visit disposal.gsa.gov.

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