{"nrhp_refnum":"87001480","name":"East Chop Light","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Lighthouse Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Oak Bluffs","county":"Dukes County","state":"MA","lat":41.466398714000036,"lon":-70.57054911999995,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-06-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation","Architecture","Maritime History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A cast iron lighthouse tower built in 1876 on the highest bluff of East Chop (Telegraph Hill), at the east side of the entrance to Vineyard Haven Harbor in Oak Bluffs, Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the tower retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. It is associated with the development of aids to navigation in Massachusetts. It stands on the site of an 1828 light that was part of a semaphore system linking Cape Cod and the Islands to Boston. It is rated significant at the state level under criteria A and C.","narrative":"East Chop Light is a cast iron lighthouse tower completed in 1876 on the highest bluff of East Chop, also called Telegraph Hill, at the entrance to Vineyard Haven Harbor in Oak Bluffs. It is a standard four-drum Italianate design painted brown, rising 79 feet above the water, with brick walls laid in basketweave inside, a ten-sided lens room and an ornate balcony with flame-topped balusters. The site was used in 1828 for a semaphore system that reported sightings off Martha's Vineyard to ship owners in Boston. A wooden tower built in 1869 burned, a replacement followed in 1872, and the federal government bought the property in 1875. The keeper's dwelling and other outbuildings have been demolished, so the nomination covers only the tower. It was recognized for its intact design and materials and its role in the development of navigation aids in Massachusetts, meeting criteria A and C at the state level. The light remains unmanned and active.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate cast iron tower (standard four-drum design)","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as unmanned and active; the keeper's house and other ancillary buildings no longer exist.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:02.186585-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/93/7897/63789793/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87001480.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001480/a1b411ffee-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001480/a1b411ffee-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_Chop_Lighthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Marcbela (Marc N. Belanger)</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:East_Chop_Lighthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789793","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/East_Chop_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5328088"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/dukes-county/east-chop-light-87001480/"}