{"nrhp_refnum":"87002040","name":"Cape Poge Light","other_names":["Cape Pogue Light"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Chappaquiddick Island","address_restricted":false,"city":"Edgartown","county":"Dukes County","state":"MA","lat":41.42022006900004,"lon":-70.45216723199997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-09-28","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation","Architecture","Maritime History"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A conical, wood-framed lighthouse tower built in 1893 on the northeast point of Chappaquiddick Island, Edgartown, Massachusetts, on the approach to Edgartown Harbor. It is owned by the Coast Guard and sits on a site of about four acres, reduced in the revised form to less than one acre.","why_significant":"The nomination argues 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 the third tower on the site, the first having been erected in 1802. It is one of only seven wood-frame lighthouses in the state.","narrative":"Cape Poge Light is a conical, wood-framed lighthouse on the northeast point of Chappaquiddick Island, off eastern Martha's Vineyard in Edgartown. The shingled tower rises 55 feet above water level on wooden piers, with a small gabled entry porch, a balcony with simple posts and a ten-sided lantern topped by a ball vent and lightning rod. It marks one of New England's easternmost landfalls and the route to Edgartown Harbor. A beacon stood here in the 18th century, and the first tower dates to 1802. Shoreline erosion has repeatedly claimed or forced the movement of the light, and records suggest it was relocated at least six times. The present tower follows 1893 plans for a temporary light and was moved to its current spot in 1922. It was recognized for its retained integrity, its place in the development of Massachusetts navigation aids, and its status as one of only seven wood-frame lighthouses in the state. A further move inland was planned because of erosion.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Conical wood-framed lighthouse tower","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Listed as unmanned and active. The windows are boarded up and the interior has no access. The 1851 keeper's dwelling is described as deteriorated, altered and abandoned and is excluded from the nomination. A relocation of about 500 feet southwest was planned for fall 1986 because of erosion.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:01.839773-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/3/7898/63789803/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87002040.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002040/bfb6ba4d38-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87002040/bfb6ba4d38-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Tjbeach at English Wikipedia","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cape_Poge_Light.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Tjbeach at English 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:Cape_Poge_Light.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789803","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cape_Poge_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5034997"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/dukes-county/cape-poge-light-87002040/"}