Gay Head Light Back in Action After Relighting
Lighthouse keeper Richard Skidmore poses with donors Hank Goldberg, Carol Brown Goldberg and Edward Miller, who flipped the switch together.
Lighthouse keeper Richard Skidmore poses with donors Hank Goldberg, Carol Brown Goldberg and Edward Miller, who flipped the switch together.
The light shines again on a rainy evening.
The light shines again on a rainy evening.
Gay Head Light relocation committee member Len Butler, who played a key role in the move.
Gay Head Light relocation committee member Len Butler, who played a key role in the move.
The lighthouse was dark for 118 days.
The lighthouse was dark for 118 days.
Aquinnah selectman Jim Newman.
Aquinnah selectman Jim Newman.
While the Gay Head Light was dark, a temporary beacon took its place.
While the Gay Head Light was dark, a temporary beacon took its place.
Gay Head Light advisory committee member Beverly Wright.
Gay Head Light advisory committee member Beverly Wright.
Red and white light shines again over Aquinnah.
Red and white light shines again over Aquinnah.
Tobias Vanderhoop, chairman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
Tobias Vanderhoop, chairman of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah).
Celebration took place next to the reactivated, relocated lighthouse.
Celebration took place next to the reactivated, relocated lighthouse.
Elijah Reynolds, chief of the Coast Guard’s Aid to Navigation Team in Woods Hole, which oversaw the relighting.
Elijah Reynolds, chief of the Coast Guard’s Aid to Navigation Team in Woods Hole, which oversaw the relighting.
Crowd gathered to celebrate.
Crowd gathered to celebrate.
Gay Head Light fundraising committee co-chairs Mitzi Pratt and Meg Bodnar.
Gay Head Light fundraising committee co-chairs Mitzi Pratt and Meg Bodnar.
Saxophonist Scott Shetler played an upbeat rendition of This Little Light of Mine.
Saxophonist Scott Shetler played an upbeat rendition of This Little Light of Mine.
After the celebration, the light shines on.
After the celebration, the light shines on.
Under a steady downpour on Tuesday, the Gay Head Light resumed its watch over Vineyard Sound and the waters off Aquinnah. A large crowd gathered in Aquinnah Circle, peering up from under their umbrellas and hoods to witness the end of the lighthouse’s longest period of darkness since 1856.
In May, following more than two years of intense preparation and fundraising, the historic brick-and-masonry tower was moved 129 feet from a rapidly eroding cliff. In the weeks that followed, a new foundation and retaining wall were completed, and excavated soil was returned to the site. And now the familiar red and white beams are shining again over Aquinnah.