{"nrhp_refnum":"87001490","name":"Scituate Light","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Cedar Pt.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Scituate","county":"Plymouth County","state":"MA","lat":42.20197081200007,"lon":-70.71462477199998,"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":["national","state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Scituate Light is a stone octagonal lighthouse with an attached wood-frame keeper's house on Cedar Point at the north entrance to Scituate Harbor, Massachusetts. The tower was built in 1811 by Charles Gill, Nathel Gill Jr., and Joseph Hammond Jr. of Hingham.","why_significant":"The nomination cites its integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship, and its link to the development of aids to navigation in Massachusetts. It is a good example of an early masonry tower of unusual splayed octagonal form. It is also unique for keeping a complete set of its original 1811 building specifications, and it is a prime local symbol.","narrative":"Scituate Light sits on Cedar Point at the entrance to Scituate Harbor, part of the approach to Boston Harbor and the site of many wrecks. The stone octagonal tower and wood-frame keeper's house were built in 1811 for $3,200 by three builders from Hingham. A brick superstructure with granite post-and-lintel window bays and a new dome and lantern was added in 1827, and further rebuilding followed in 1841. Its last lighting came on November 14, 1860, the night before the new Minot's Ledge Light first shone. The light is also tied to a local tale from 1814, when the keeper's children are said to have tricked a British landing party with a fife and drum. The town acquired the property in 1917 under a deed requiring it to be kept as a historic landmark. After vandalism in the 1960s, the Scituate Historical Society took over upkeep in 1968. The tower is valued for its form, its harbor setting, and its complete set of original construction specifications.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"Charles Gill, Nathel Gill, Jr., and Joseph Hammond, Jr., of Hingham (1811); Marshall Lincoln (1827 renovations); Winslow Lewis (1841 rebuilding)","architectural_style":"Early masonry tower of unusual splayed octagonal form","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Unmanned/inactive; restored and maintained by the Scituate Historical Society; owned by the Town of Scituate.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.905274-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/34/7927/63792734/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87001490.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001490/df55c6f688-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001490/df55c6f688-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"T.S. Custadio aka ToddC4176 at en.wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scituate_Lighthouse_1.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">T.S. Custadio aka ToddC4176 at en.wikipedia</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scituate_Lighthouse_1.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792734","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Old_Scituate_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7084940"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/plymouth-county/scituate-light-87001490/"}