WayfarrowGay Head Light
Lighthouse · Dukes County, Massachusetts
Gay Head Light is a lighthouse in Dukes County, Massachusetts. Massachusetts has 81 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 8 of them in Dukes County.
It was built in 1856, in the Civil War era, making it the 11th oldest of the 50 in Massachusetts with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 51 feet tall (13th tallest of 36 measured in Massachusetts); its light sits 171 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Al WR 7.5s, with a range of about 20 nautical miles; the structure is built of brick.
Status check, 2026-11: The 1799 wooden tower was replaced by the current brick tower (built 1855, lit 1856), which was moved about 129–134 ft inland from the eroding cliffs in May 2015. The record's 1799 is the station's founding date, not the current tower's (gayheadlight.org gives 52 ft). Gay Head Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 41.3484° N, 70.8349° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1856 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 51 ft |
| Focal height | 171 ft |
| Light characteristic | Al WR 7.5s |
| Range | 20 nautical miles |
| Material | brick |
| Heritage designation | America's Most Endangered Historic Places |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 41.34844, -70.83494 |
Nearby places
- Cuttyhunk Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 7.5 mi
- Tarpaulin Cove Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 9.2 mi
- Buzzards Bay Entrance Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 10.9 mi
- Dumpling Rocks Lightlighthouse · Bristol County · 13.9 mi
- Dumpling Rocks Lightlighthouse · Bristol County · 13.9 mi
- Nobska Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 14.8 mi
- West Chop Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 15.1 mi
- East Chop Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 16.2 mi
- Clarks Point Lightlighthouse · Bristol County · 17.3 mi
- Edgartown Harbor Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 17.5 mi
- Falmouth Inner Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 17.8 mi
- Butler Flats Lightlighthouse · Bristol County · 17.9 mi
Questions
Where is Gay Head Light?
Gay Head Light is in Dukes County, Massachusetts, at 41.3484, -70.8349.
How many lighthouses are in Dukes County?
Dukes County, Massachusetts has 8 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.