An open house at Gay Head Lighthouse on Saturday, April 11, offers Islanders a last chance to visit the iconic landmark before its relocation in late May. Lighthouse keepers Richard Skidmore and Joan LeLacheur will open the building from 2 to 5 pm. Admission will be free.
The open house will culminate a week of preparations for the lighthouse’s move from its current location, about 46 feet from the edge of the Gay Head cliffs, to a site 135 feet southeast, on an abutting lot and away from the quickly eroding coastal bank.
The U.S. Coast Guard plans to erect a temporary beacon on the Gay Head Cliffs overlook on Tuesday, April 7, according to a press release. A metal pole with a flashing LED light on top will be activated when the lighthouse goes dark the week of April 13, and remain in use until the end of June, officials estimate.
A lighthouse has stood at the Gay Head cliffs since 1799, replaced with the current brick one in 1854. The Save the Gay Head Light Committee has raised $2.5 million as of last month toward its goal of the $3 million needed to finance the project to move and restore the lighthouse at a location that will sustain it for many generations.
For more information or to make a donation, visit gayheadlight.org.
