Cape Ann Twin Lights

Two big lights
on one
small island
The area off of Thatcher Island is a treacherous place and many ships and people have paid a visit to Davy Jones around the island. In fact the island got it’s name from the Rev Anthony Thatcher who was shipwrecked on this island in 1685. The entire ship and 21 people were lost except for the lucky Rev and his wife.
The island has two huge 124 foot lighthouses and lots of people have lots of stories about why there are two separate lights instead of the usual one. Some of the stories get pretty creative like the area is so dangerous that it needs the extra light. Or so many people have died around the island that the extra light is for guiding the lost souls. The real reason is far less mysterious.
Back in 1771, when the first 45 foot high towers were built there wasn’t any reliable way to flash the lights so many mariners got confused and couldn’t tell exactly what or more importantly where they were looking. So the engineers figured that two light towers would stand out and although expensive, the idea caught on. There are also huge twin lights at Navesink in New Jersey and even triple lights on Cape Cod and New Brunswick.
Shipping increased but the area around Thatcher still claimed it’s victims so in 1861 new lights were built. These are massive towers of carved granite that stand 124 feet tall. Each one had a monstrous first order Fresnel Lens and were frequently the first sign of American that visitors from Europe saw.
Later in the 19^th century people figured out that by rotating the light it can be made to flash so the north tower was discontinued as a lighthouse. However the south one is still an active guide to navigation and helps keeps ships off the rocks and island.
The lighthouses are usually just referred to as the Cape Ann Lights or the Twin Lights. However officially the north light’s full name is the Thatcher island North Light while the south light is the South Cape Ann Light.
The area is still pretty treacherous and even the most gentle and inviting water can suddenly change and try very hard to kill you. The island and the looming lighthouses still remain lovely in a mysterious and ethereal way. Just hope all the souls that have been lost around here are finally at peace.