Image: Gay Head Light - 1958 USCG aerial photograph

Description: A 1958 United States Coast Guard aerial photograph of the Gay Head Lighthouse and surrounding environs taken from a northerly point-of-view. By 1958, the Gay Head Light was no longer open to public access due to automation with electrical technology c. 1954. When this photograph was taken, the Fresnel lens had already been replaced with an electrical signal. The Fresnel lens was relocated to the Dukes County Historical Society's grounds in Edgartown. A few years after this photograph, the Keeper's house; the nearby square, brick, WWII observation tower; the barn; and the small guest house near the cliffs were razed. Only the lighthouse and the World War II bunker were not destroyed. Not clearly visible in this photo is the WWII bunker that sits on the clay cliffs just below the so-called guest house. Today, the WWII bunker sits below the cliffs in the ocean's intertidal zone.
Title: Gay Head Light - 1958 USCG aerial photograph
Credit: United States Coast Guard
Author: Photo from private collection of William Waterway
Usage Terms: Public domain
License: Public domain
Attribution Required?: No