Egg Rock, Massachusetts: Only Yesterday

Located in Nahant Bay, of northern Boston Harbor, the Egg Rock Lighthouse became operational on Sept. 15, 1856. The structure consisted of a lantern on the keeper's dwelling. A fixed white light was produced by a 5th order Fresnel lens. The station was a single family station. In 1897 the structure was destroyed by fire. The replacement structure, constructed the following year, consisted of a 34-foot-high, brick tower attached to a white wooden dwelling. The new characteristic was a fixed red light. Egg Rock was automated in 1919 and the keeper removed. The aid was discontinued in 1922, and in 1927 the buildings were removed and the islet turned into a bird sanctuary. Following are newspaper articles about the demise of the station.