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Falmouth on Cape Cod was named for Falmouth, England, home port of explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who gave Cape Cod its name. At first the English settlement in the area retained its Indian name, Suckanesset; it was changed to Falmouth in 1690.
Because the light station was located on the mainland, the keeper was not provided with a boat. Lt. Edward Carpender surveyed Nobska Light in 1838 and recommended that an exception be made, saying, "Should the regulation be waived in favor of any one, I hope it will be extended to this individual, who once had it in his power, with the government boat, no longer serviceable, to rescue some persons from drowning." In 1843, engineer I. W. P. Lewis issued a scathing report to Congress after inspecting the lighthouses of the northeast coast, but Nobska Light was spared. Lewis reported that the station was "in good order and repair." Through much of the nineteenth century, the keepers had to count the vessels that passed the light. On one day alone in 1864, Keeper Frederick Ray counted 188 vessels -- including 175 schooners -- passing the point.
In 1910, a new brick fog signal building was erected, with a fog whistle operated by compressed air. The keepers started the signal when visibility dropped below five miles.
Osborne Hallett was in charge from 1955 to 1968, and Joseph Hindley was his assistant. Hindley took over as keeper in 1968. When he retired in 1973, Hindley was believed to be the last civilian lighthouse keeper in New England. His career in the Lighthouse Service dated back to 1927, when he was an assistant at Whale Rock Light in Rhode Island.
Keepers: Peter Daggett (?-1849); William Davis (1849-1853); William Ferguson Jr. (1853-1861); Frederick Ray (1861-1874); Oliver A. Nickerson (1874-1911); George I. Cameron (assistant 1910-1911, principal keeper 1911-?); John M. Scharff (1925-1955); Waldo Leighton, assistant (c. 1935); George T. Gustavus (assistant 1911-?, prinicpal keeper1939-1941); Joseph G. Hindley, Jr. (assistant, c. 1956-1968, keeper 1968-1972); Osborne E. Hallett (1955-1968) |
Jim Jolin sent me the following note about Nobska Light and has kindly allowed me to share it on this page:
I had the distinct pleasure of growing up near Nobsque (Nobska) Light as a child. My grandparents had a home on Fay Road just off the Old Falmouth Road going towards Woods Hole. We lived on Buzzards Bay Avenue from 1951 to 1955.
One very foggy day as we rounded the bluff the "Deep Fog" horn went off just as we drove in front of it. My brother and I were so startled by the sound that we literally hit the inside of the roof. Though not injured badly, we were very surprised and had pretty sore heads. The lighthouse was a wonderful sight to see as it stands on a small bluff looking out towards Vineyard Sound. It was a faithful sentinel for lots of us who swam at nearby Old Falmouth Beach. I know that I always felt safer, for whatever childish reason, when I would see the lighthouse.
Even after we moved onto the mainland (Weymouth), I would always find a way to drive by when I came to Woods Hole. Thanks for letting me bring back great memories.
Jim Jolin
Last updated 1/26/07 © Jeremy D'Entremont. Do not reproduce any part of this website without permission of the author.
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