{"nrhp_refnum":"87001483","name":"Nobska Point Light Station","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Nobska Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Falmouth","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":41.51652528000005,"lon":-70.65684547899997,"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 lighthouse complex on a rocky promontory at the entrance to Woods Hole Harbor in Falmouth, Massachusetts, with an 1876 cast iron tower, two keeper's houses, an oil house, paint locker, garage and radio beacon building.","why_significant":"The nomination argues the station is an excellent example of a lighthouse complex dating mainly from 1876, retaining integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. It is tied to the development of aids to navigation in Massachusetts and is valued for its scenic bluff setting and strategic position where Vineyard and Nantucket Sounds meet Buzzards Bay.","narrative":"Nobska Point Light Station sits on a bare, rocky promontory east of the entrance to Woods Hole Harbor in Falmouth, visible from all directions. A light was first built on top of a keeper's dwelling after land was purchased in 1828. In 1876 the tower was rebuilt in iron with a brick lining. It is a white cylinder of iron panels, 40 feet high, topped with a cast iron lantern and holding a fourth-order Fresnel lens. The same year brought a wood-frame keeper's dwelling, a brick oil house and a paint locker. A second keeper's house followed in 1900, a garage in 1931 and a brick radio beacon building in 1937. The light was automated in 1985. The complex was recognized for its largely intact 1876 grouping of buildings, its scenic setting, and its strategic location at the meeting of Vineyard Sound, Nantucket Sound and Buzzards Bay, as well as its role in navigation aids in Massachusetts.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Italianate tower details and Gothic Revival window moldings on the 1876 keeper's house; radio beacon building described as Federal Revival","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as unmanned/active; the light was automated in 1985 and the living quarters were then used by the Woods Hole group commander.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.918643-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/51/7891/63789151/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87001483.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001483/781d602944-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001483/781d602944-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":null,"credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NobskaLight.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:NobskaLight.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789151","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nobska_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q16895870"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/nobska-point-light-station-87001483/"}