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Geographic coordinates: 42° 31' 00" N 70° 53' 01" W
Nearest city: Salem. Located at the end of Derby Wharf in Salem Harbor.
Established: 1871. Present lighthouse built: 1871. Deactivated: 1977. Relighted: 1983.
Height of focal plane: 25 feet.
Earlier optic: Fifth-order Fresnel lens (1871); Fourth-order Fresnel lens (1906); Sixth-order Fresnel lens (1910). Present optic: 155 mm.
Characteristic: Red flash every 6 seconds.
This square brick lighthouse at the end of Derby Wharf went into service in January 1871. The light never had a keeper’s house. Instead, Salem residents were hired to serve as caretakers.
A disastrous fire swept Salem in 1914. The caretaker of the light, William Osgood, was preoccupied with saving his own home, so his wife went to light the lighthouse for the evening. She narrowly escaped as the flames engulfed the wharf. After that, Osgood had to travel to the lighthouse by rowboat.
The National Park Service began the restoration of the wharf in 1937. Derby Wharf is now part of the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, which includes twelve buildings on the waterfront. The Coast Guard deactivated the lighthouse in 1977, and ownership subsequently went to the National Park Service. The Friends of Salem Maritime convinced the authorities to relight the lighthouse as a private aid to navigation in 1983.
The wharf and grounds around the diminutive lighthouse are open all year. It’s an easy walk to the lighthouse at the end of the wharf. The tall ship Friendship—a replica of a 1797 Salem East Indiaman—is an added attraction at Derby Wharf.
Follow Route 114 into Salem and continue as the road becomes North Street, then Summer Street. Turn left onto Norman Street and stay straight through a traffic light onto Derby Street. Follow Derby Street through the traffic light straight past the Beverly Cooperative Bank to the next intersection. There’s a parking garage at this corner, the best place to park for Derby Wharf. From the garage, walk east on Derby Street for a few minutes to the wharf. There’s an orientation center near the foot of the wharf. For more on the Salem Maritime National Historic Site, call 978-740-1660 or visit www.nps.gov/sama/.
Fascinating Fact 
Across the street from the foot of Derby Wharf is Salem’s 1818 Custom House, where Nathaniel Hawthorne once worked as a clerk.
SIDE TRIP: Peabody Essex Museum
This world-class museum, founded in 1799, recently underwent a $194 million expansion. The galleries contain a vast array of Asian art and maritime art collections. The American decorative art, folk art, and costume collection represents more than 300 years of New England art and culture. Don’t miss the fascinating Yin Yu Tang house, a late Qing Dynasty home relocated from southwestern China. The museum is open daily; call or check online for the hours.
Peabody Essex Museum
East India Square
Salem, MA 01970
Phone: 978-745-9500
(Toll Free) 866-745-1876
Web site: www.pem.org
Views are available from some of the lighthouse cruises offered by the Friends of the Boston Harbor Islands (781-740-4290, www.fbhi.org) and Boston Harbor Cruises (617-227-4321, www.bostonharborcruises.com), and Mahi Mahi Cruises (800-992-MAHI, www.mahicruises.com).
