BlockThe nomination, in full
Bibliography, boundary description, and the people who prepared and reviewed the nomination.
LIGHTHOUSES OF MASSACHUSETTS THEMATIC GROUP NOMINATION LIGHTHOUSE INFORMATION FORM MASSACHUSETTS HISTORICAL COMMISSION 80 Boylston Street, Boston, MA 02116 NUMBER 15 PHOTOGRAPH KEY Victoria DiStefano - Martha's VineyardTowN: Commission - Vineyard Haven - 1980 LOCATION: HISTORIC NAME: East Chop Light Oak Bluffs COUNTY: CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT: On Lighthouse Road Dukes CODE: 007 10th LOCATION OF LEGAL DESCRIPTION: SKETCH MAP Dukes County Courthouse (Book 45, p. 91; Bk. 61, p. 213) VERBAL BOUNDARY DESCRIPTION: The nomination is confined to the 1876 cas iron tower; ancillary structures have beer demolished and the land on which they stoc transferred to the town of Oak Bluffs. LAT./LONG.: N/A UTM COORDINATE: 19/368/800/4591/500 Vineyard Haven Tekaraph HIT Lighthouse N 4 USGS QUADRANGLE:_Prov. RI,: Mass., Conn.
SCALE: 1:250,000 ACREAGE: OWNER (S) : Oriainally 2A, now 0.1A First Coast Guard District East Chop Vineyard Highlands 408 Atlantic Ave. Boston, MA 02110 oLight STATUS: Unmanned/Active Harbor RECORDED BY: N. Salzman/V. DiStefano ORGANIZATION: MHC/MVC DATE: 1980-1981 LIGHTHOUSES OF MASSACHUSETTS THEMATIC GROUP NOMINATION East Chop Light, Oak Bluffs SITE DESCRIPTION: East Chop Light, Oak Bluffs, is located on the east side of the entrance to Vineyard Haven Harbor Islands, on the highest protruding bluff of East Chop (also named Telegraph Hill). A Keeper's House and other ancillary buildings no longer exist. Lighthouse # 15 page 1 LIGHTHOUSES OF MASSACHUSETTS THEMATIC GROUP NOMINATION Lighthouse # 15 page 2 MAJOR ELEMENTS: Cast iron tower (1876) surrounded by fence. Standard four drum Italianate cast iron tower design, painted brown. Tower stands 79' above water.
_Foundation is concrete; Italianate windows at levels 2 and 3; portholes (4) at level 4. Doors - an outer double door (33 1/2" X 74 1/2") with vertical wooden sheathing on the outside, 2 panels on the inside measuring 23 1/2" X 19 1/2". Set in iron surround 3 1/2" deep with pintel hinge. INTERIOR - segmental arched doorway is 10 3/4" deep. Set in frame is a four panel wooden door 33 1/4" X 71". Material- floor is cement, walls are brick laid in basketweave. Stairs - standard South Shore style with tubular rail (2 1/2" diameter) and single cylindrical balusters, one to a step. Treads are cast iron, diamond pattern, 34" wide Windows - are identical (30" X 49") 2/2 with 3 1/4" segmental archec frame. Sills are 6 3/4" deep at level two, 3" deep at level three. Lamp Room- Standard South Shore type with stairwell wall cupboard occupying 1/3 of the floor space.
7'6" high walls are covered in vertical wood sheathing painted white, with no bevels. 3 1/2" wide battens form a narrow door that opens to expose the space between the sheathing and the cast iron drums, which allows investigation of the construction. Along the stairwell, two portholes of 13 1/2" diameter are framed by a square molding. Inside the lamp room two windows in an hexagonal frame are mounted on wooden frames. The space between the brass frame and exterior iron porthole casing is filled with wedges of 2" thick wood. A standard seven tread, curved iron ladder leads through a trap door open ing. The ceiling is elaborately constructed with pie-shaped wooden boards, 2 3/4' wide fanning around a central point and framed at their junction with the wall by a crown molding. The closet has a standard four panel door of wood set in a 25 1/2" opening (28" with frame).
Lens Room - ten sides, lower half cast iron. Iron floor with no trap door over open ing. Small, brass hand grab on wall. Stand for former Fresnel lens still in place. Ceiling is intact with reflector. Walls are sheathed in 3 1/4" wood. Five brass wheel ventilator covers are in place, can be turned by pin which is placed through the square backing. Windows - three are painted with black enamel to shield light from landward side. Scuttle door - wooden inside door is 21 1/2" X 29 1/2" Balcony - original Italianate balusters (41 1/2") and part of a supporting bracket (vertical with 2 cross pieces) are extant at top of tower. Bracket is elaborate with fluting, acanthus leaves and moldings. Balusters are capped with large "flame" finials attached to post by 1/2" iron spike topped with smaller "flame". Severalhave been replaced with solid lead, unornamented balls of similar shape.
Rail -is simole horizontal band with smaller 3/4" vertical band 3 3/8" from bottom, with 21 1/2" between bands. Floor -radius is 50 3/4" Scuttle door - typical cast iron with latch Vent Slot - alternating lower panels, simple framed slits LIGHTHOUSES OF MASSAC-UOTTTS THEMATIC GROUP NOMINATION Roof - LIGHT CHARACTERISTICS: Lighthouse # 15 page 3 standard ten section surmounted by intact ventilator ball on molded base; unusual forked lightning rod. mn1 directionalamo mile range. LIGHTHOUSES OF MASSACHUSETTS THEMATIC GROUP NOMINATION CHRONOLOGICAL HISTORY: 1828 - 1869 - 1869 - 1872 - 1875 - 1876- site of semiphore system extending from Edgartown across Cape Cod and the South Shore of Massachusetts to Central Wharf in Boston Harbor; the system notified ship owners of sightings off Martha's Vineyard.
wooden structure built at a cost of $1700 by Captain Silas Daggett who raised the money through private subscriptions from Tocal Martha's Vineyard merchants. tower burns down. new tower constructed. U.S. Government purchases property for #5000. cast iron, Italianate tower constructed. Also constructed were a standard L shaped Gothic Revival Keeper's Dwelling with some Italianate detail and a house with shingle roof and walls at rear of property (oil house?). All ancillary structures have been destroyed (date of demolition unknown). Lighthouse # 15 page 4 LIGHTHOUSES OF MASSACHUSEFTS THEMATIC GROUP NOMINATION LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE East Chop Light possesses integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship as well as associations with the development of aids navigation in Massachusetts.
Constructed in 1876, the present cast iron structure stands on the site of an 1828 light which was part of a semiphore system from Cape Cod and the Islands to Boston. It meets criteria A and C of the NRHP on the state level as well as survey criteria 2a. Lighthoue # 15 page 5 NPS Vrim 10-900-e (8-86) United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Continuation Sheet Section number . Page 1 74 OMB Approval No. 1024-0018 MAY 4 1987 Multiple Resource Area Thematic Group Name State Lighthouses of Massachusetts TR MASSACHUSETTS Nomination/Type of Review < 50 Cover Substail!"* Revler 1. Cleveland LEDGE Light Station subatantite Revier Keeper Date/Signaty Vm X Keeper 2. Highland Light Station (Cade Cod Light) Ii Aonei: Jogister fikeeper seerneByars 6/1578, Attest 3.
Gay Head Light iatered in the Matfonal lagdster fkeoper AulowByen alotr, Attest 4. Edgartown Harbor Light Marweted fo fReeper emisfer Auloua Bigen slats, Attest 5. Derby Wharf Light Station ured 1n atyomal hedrae fKeeper AulmaBzan dlate, Attest 6. East Chop Light iatered in tne le tamed Bogiater JRteper 7. Eastern Point Light Station delonBgan 61/0) Hlmbagen 2/396, 8. Long Island Head Light Batared in tie Iealonal Hogister 9. Long Point Light Station 10.
Marblehead Light fReeper Attest fheoper AulreAgun 6h070, Attest Lasnrsd is (elonei Regdali AlerPozun 9/50/8 Attest Ieiersd Antloiei kondotisfukeeper AiloueByar 6/518, Attest 87001480 WASO Form - 177 ('R"June 1984) UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR NATIONAL PARK SERVICE NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES EVALUATION/RETURN SHEET East Chop Light (LighthousesofMassachusettsTR) Dukes County MASSACHUSETTS resubmission nomination by person or local government owner objection appeal Substantive Review: Reviewer's comments: sample LJrequest Working No. 4/28/232 Fed. Reg. Date: 22102 188 Date Due: _ 6l8/87 Action: ACCEPT - 6-15-87 matered 1n the _RETURN Illonsd Roglater -REJECT. Federal Agency: _ USCG LJappeal -NR decision Recom./Criteria Reviewer Discipline Date see continuation sheet Nomination returned for: . _ technical corrections cited below _substantive reasons discussed below 1.
Name 2. Location 3. Classification Category Ownership Public Acquisition 4. Owner of Property 5. Location of Legal Description 6. Representation in Existing Surveys Has this property been determined eligible? yes no 7. Description Condition excellent good fair deteriorated ruins unexposed Check one -unaltered altered Describe the present and original (if known) physical appearance summary paragraph completeness clarity alterations/integrity dates boundary selection Status Accessible Present Use Check one -original site moved date 8. Significance Period Areas of Significance-Check and justify below Specific dates Statement of Significance (in one paragraph) Builder/Architect summary paragraph completeness clarity applicable criteria justification of areas checked relating significance to the resource context relationship of integrity to significance justification of exception other 9.
Major Bibliographical References 10. Geographical Data Acreage of nominated property Quadrangle name UTM References Verbal boundary description and justification 11. Form Prepared By 12. State Historic Preservation Officer Certification The evaluated significance of this property within the state is: national state local State Historic Preservation Officer signature title date 13. Other Maps Photographs Other Questions concerning this nomination may be directed to Signed- - Date . Phone: GPO 918-450 Comments for any item maybe continued on an attached sheet MASS, HIST. COMM. #15 East Chop Lighthouse East Chop Drive Oak Bluffs, Massachusetts May 1, 1980 Photographer: V.I. Distefano negative filed at M.V. Commission Organization: Martha's Vineyard Commission LIGHTHOUSES OF MASSACHUSETTS THEMATIC GROUP NOMINATION Propeen 680.
Please refer to the map in the Multiple Property Cover Sheet for this property Multiple Property Cover Sheet Reference Number: 64000282