Accessibility: 
Geographic coordinates: 41° 40' 12" N 70° 42' 58" W
Nearest town: Marion. Located on a two-acre island at the entrance to Sippican Harbor.
Established: 1819. Present lighthouse built: 1819. Deactivated: 1933. Relighted: 1997.
Height of tower: 31 feet. Height of focal plane: 37 feet.
Previous optic: Fourth-order Fresnel lens. Present optic: 300 mm.
Characteristic: White flash every 6 seconds.
Stark little Bird Island was an ideal place to establish a lighthouse that would serve to guide mariners to Sippican Harbor and points north. A conical rubblestone tower was constructed with an accompanying stone dwelling; a covered walkway connected the house and tower. William S. Moore, a veteran of the War of 1812, was appointed as the first keeper, and the light went into operation on September 1, 1819.
Local legend claims that Keeper Moore was a pirate and that he was banished to Bird Island as punishment. Some accounts claim that Moore murdered his wife at the lighthouse and disappeared soon after. These stories are not true, but his wife did die on the island, and there are those who say it has been haunted or cursed ever since. According to a newspaper article, legend has it that “the ghost of a hunched-over old woman, rapping at the door during the night,” frightened some later keepers.
Keeper Zimri Tobias “Toby” Robinson brought a cow to the island while he was keeper (1895–1912). According to his brother’s grandson, Robinson attached a rope to the cow and tied it to his skiff, then rowed to the island with the cow swimming behind.
The light was taken out of service on June 15, 1933, and it turned out to be a lucky decision for the last keeper, George Gustavus, and his family. The hurricane of September 21, 1938, swept away every building on the island except the lighthouse tower.
The town of Marion has owned the property since 1966. In 1994, a restoration effort was launched when the Bird Island Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed, led by Chairman Charles Bradley. The society raised funds privately and secured a federal grant, and International Chimney Corporation of Buffalo, New York, restored the lighthouse tower. Then, at 9:00 p.m. on July 4, 1997, with 3,000 people gathered onshore, Bird Island Light was relighted as a private aid to navigation.
For more information or to help with the ongoing preservation of this lighthouse, contact the Bird Island Lighthouse Preservation Society, 2 Spring Street, Marion, MA 02738.
Bird Island Light can be seen distantly from shore. From Route 6 in Marion, head south on Creek Road. Follow to the end and turn right on Point Road. Follow Point Road to its end at a golf course. The lighthouse can be seen from a seawall. Be sure to bring a long lens or binoculars for a closer view.
Fascinating Fact 
Tiny Bird Island is one of the most important nesting sites on the East Coast for the endangered roseate tern.
