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Geographic coordinates: 42° 12' 18" N 70° 42' 57" W
Nearest town: Scituate. Located at Cedar Point at the north side of the entrance to Scituate Harbor.
Established: 1811. Present lighthouse built: 1812. Deactivated: 1860. Relighted: 1991.
Height of tower: 50 feet. Height of focal plane: 70 feet.
Present optic: 250 mm.
Characteristic: White flash every 15 seconds.
Scituate’s small but protected harbor developed a flourishing fishing fleet by the early 1800s. The town’s selectmen convinced Congress to appropriate $4,000 for a lighthouse in 1810. The 25-foot stone lighthouse went into service in April 1812. The first keeper was Simeon Bates, who stayed at the station until his death in 1834. During the War of 1812, Bates once fired a cannon at a British warship as it departed from the harbor.
On September 1, 1814, most of the Bates family was away. The keeper’s daughters, twenty-one-year-old Rebecca and fifteen-year-old (or seventeen-year-old according to some accounts) Abigail were left in charge. The sisters saw a British warship anchored in the harbor. Fearing an attack on the town, they thought quickly. Rebecca grabbed her fife, and Abigail got her drum. Being sure to stay out of sight, the sisters played “Yankee Doodle.” Thinking the music signaled the arrival of the town militia, the British retreated. The durable legend of the “Lighthouse Army of Two” was born.
SIDE TRIP: Maritime and Irish Mossing Museum
This museum, in the 1739 Scituate home of Captain Benjamin James, features a Shipwreck Room with an emphasis on the destructive Portland Gale of 1898. The Life Saving Room tells the stories of the Massachusetts Humane Society, the United States Life-Saving Service stations, and early Coast Guard stations in Scituate and around the country. The Irish Mossing Room recounts the story of this important local industry. There’s a shipbuilding exhibit and a room devoted to the life of sea captains at home. The collection also includes a fourth-order Fresnel lighthouse lens. The museum is open Saturdays and Sunday afternoons in summer and Sunday afternoons the rest of the year. There is a small charge for admission.
Maritime and Irish Mossing Museum
301 Driftway
Scituate, MA 02066
Phone 781-545-1083
Web site: www.scituatehistoricalsociety.org
In 1827, a 15-foot brick extension and a new lantern were added to the tower. When the second tower offshore at Minot’s Ledge was completed in 1860, it was decided that the light at Scituate was no longer needed. The light was deactivated in November 1860. For some years, keepers in charge of a light on a nearby jetty lived in the old Scituate keeper’s house, but the jetty light was automated in 1924.
The lighthouse tower, its lantern removed, fell to ruin. It was sold to the Town of Scituate in 1917. A replica lantern was installed in 1930. In 1968, the Scituate Historical Society took over the care of the lighthouse and keeper’s house. The lighthouse was relighted in 1991, but the light was visible from land only. Three years later, the lighthouse became a private aid to navigation, with a flashing white light.
Fascinating Fact 
This is the oldest extant lighthouse tower and keeper’s house combination in the country.
The keeper’s house is rented to an individual, and the rent helps fund the maintenance of the site. In recent years, educational exhibits have been developed in the covered walkway between the house and tower. The Scituate Historical Society had the tower restored in 2004; the outer layer of bricks on the upper part of the tower was replaced.
To reach the lighthouse from Route 3, take exit 13 onto Route 53 North. At the intersection with Route 123, turn right onto Route 123 North. Continue for about six miles to the intersection with Route 3A. Cross Route 3A onto Old Country Way. Turn right onto Stockbridge Road, then turn right onto First Parish Road and continue to the end. Turn left onto Front Street. Turn right onto Jericho Road, and then turn right onto Lighthouse Road. Follow to the parking lot for the lighthouse. The grounds are open all year. Contact the Scituate Historical Society (781-545-1083, www.scituatehistoricalsociety.org) for more information.
Some of the cruises offered by the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands (781-740-4290, www.fbhi.org) might provide views.
SIDE TRIP: Hull Lifesaving Museum
This museum, formerly the Point Allerton Life Saving Station, preserves the region’s lifesaving tradition. There are dramatic views of Boston Harbor and its lighthouses from the building. The station was once the home of Joshua James and his crews, the most celebrated lifesavers in the world. The Keeper’s Room celebrates the amazing life and deeds of Joshua James. The upstairs Edward Rowe Snow Room features lighthouse models, exhibits about Boston Harbor, a research collection, and a fourth-order Fresnel lens from Plymouth Light. The museum is open year round; call for the current hours.
Hull Lifesaving Museum
1117 Nantasket Avenue
Hull, MA 02045
Phone 781-925-5433
Web site: www.lifesavingmuseum.org