Boston Light on Little Brewster Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
Little Brewster Island Main Page
The very first lighthouse in Colonial America was erected on Little Brewster Island in 1716, though the current lighthouse was built in 1783 after the British destroyed the original when evacuating Boston in March 1776. The United States Coast Guard operated the lighthouse up until 2023, and until this time it was the only lighthouse in the United States that still had a lighthouse keeper, despite the fact that the light was automated in 1998. Preservation groups urged Congress to fund a living history museum, and in 1989 the Coast Guard Authorization Act was passed that required Boston Light to be manned on a permanent basis as long as it remained in government hands. After the terrorist attacks in September 2001, Coast Guard personnel who staffed the island were assigned other duties, and a full-time civilian lightkeeper, Sally Snowman, was hired in 2003. Snowman remained the keeper until “being retired” on December 31, 2023. The lighthouse was supposedly purchased by a private owner who will now be responsible for maintaining it but who has no obligation to have a lighthouse keeper.
Sally Snowman, longtime lightkeeper at Boston Light on Little Brewster Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
SEEING BOSTON LIGHT
Little Brewster Island has been closed to the public since 2020. Tours of the island and lighthouse may resume one day in the future, but for now visitors to Boston Harbors Islands National Recreation Area can only view the lighthouse from offshore, either in their own boat or by taking a sightseeing cruise that passes the harbor’s three lighthouses. Tickets can be purchased on-line at the Boston Harbor Lighthouse Cruise web page. Tours are typically held spring through fall.
HISTORICAL BUILDINGS ON LITTLE BREWSTER ISLAND
Besides the lighthouse itself, there are five other historical buildings on Little Brewster Island. The building closest to the dock is the Coast Guard Boat House that was built in 1899.
Coast Guard Boat House on Little Brewster Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
The lightkeeper’s house was built in 1885 and restored in the 1990s.
Lightkeeper’s House on Little Brewster Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
View of the Lightkeeper’s House and the Coast Guard Boat House on Little Brewster Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
A small oil house is nestled among the rocks on the shore. This is where lamp oil was stored before the light was electrified in 1948. The building is now used for storage.
Boston Lighthouse’s Oil House on Little Brewster Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
A cistern house is located off to the left side of the lighthouse. Inside is a 20,000-gallon cistern used to hold rain water for non-potable uses such as bathing. A fog signal and generator building are located behind the lighthouse.
Red Nun Buoy from the 1920s with the Cistern Building in the background, Little Brewster Island, Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area
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Last updated on May 7, 2025
