West Chop Light Station
Why it's listed
West Chop Light Station occupies a sloping, fenced site on West Chop Road in Tisbury, overlooking the west side of the entrance to Vineyard Haven Harbor. The complex includes a 52-foot brick tower with an iron lantern room, two mirror-image keeper's dwellings, an oil house with a louvred cupola, and a one-and-a-half-story fog signal and boat house. A light was first established on the site in 1817 with a stone tower and stone keeper's house. Later work brought a brick tower and twin dwellings in 1847, with the tower rebuilt or remodeled in 1891. The station retains its original fourth-order Fresnel lens and is still an active, unmanned light. A later garage does not contribute to the site's character. The station was recognized for its integrity and for its link to the development of navigation aids in Massachusetts, meeting criteria A and C at the state level.
Significance in brief: The nomination argues the station retains integrity of location, design, setting, materials and workmanship. It is also associated with the development of aids to navigation in Massachusetts. It is rated significant at the state level under criteria A and C.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 87001506, listed June 15, 1987. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | W. Chop Rd., Tisbury |
|---|---|
| County | Dukes County |
| Listed | June 15, 1987 |
| Reference number | 87001506 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Engineering, Transportation, Architecture, Maritime History |
| Level of significance | State |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Listed as an unmanned, active light station owned by the Coast Guard; the oil house interior is used for paint storage. |
| Acreage | 4 |
| Coordinates | 41.48216, -70.60327 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
For a publicly owned building or structure, listing mainly matters when federal funds, permits or licences are involved: projects then go through Section 106 review so effects on the property are considered. Listing also strengthens applications for preservation grants and, for leased income-producing uses, can enable the federal rehabilitation tax credit.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 87001506.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q7984740
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.