{"nrhp_refnum":"87002030","name":"Bird Island Light","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Sippican Harbor","address_restricted":false,"city":"Marion","county":"Plymouth County","state":"MA","lat":41.66875386600003,"lon":-70.71720323599999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation","Performing Arts"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Bird Island Light is a white conical masonry lighthouse tower on a small island at the east side of the mouth of Sippican Harbor, opposite Marion, Plymouth County, Massachusetts. The tower dates from 1819, although the form also gives 1817 in its significance statement.","why_significant":"The form says the light retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship and is tied to the development of aids to navigation in Massachusetts. It is described as an early masonry tower and a locally important navigational landmark in a picturesque position. It meets criteria A and C at the state level.","narrative":"Bird Island Light is a 25-foot conical masonry tower, painted white, standing on a three-acre island at the east side of the mouth of Sippican Harbor, across from Marion, Massachusetts. The island is covered with low scrub and rocks and serves as a tern nesting ground. The tower dates from 1819, when the federal government bought the land and the Commonwealth ceded jurisdiction. It was originally attached to a stone dwelling. A hurricane washed away the outbuildings in 1938, and the town acquired the property in 1939 after it was declared surplus. The town and the Sippican Historical Society restored the light in 1976 and installed an automatic beacon, and the society restored the tower again after vandalism in 1981. The cast iron lantern has unusual diagonal astragals between its window posts. The light was judged significant as an early masonry tower, a locally important navigational landmark, and a surviving example of Massachusetts aids to navigation.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":null,"criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as unmanned and active, with an automatic beacon installed in the 1976 restoration. The tower was vandalized in 1981 and restored again by the Sippican Historical Society. The interior is not accessible.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:00.083401-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/38/7927/63792738/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87002030.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002030/a54231b138-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002030/a54231b138-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Unknown authorUnknown author","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bird_Island_Light_(Plymouth_County,_Massachusetts).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Unknown authorUnknown author</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Bird_Island_Light_(Plymouth_County,_Massachusetts).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63792738","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bird_Island_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4915874"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/plymouth-county/bird-island-light-87002030/"}