The island, about three miles east of the entrance to Salem’s harbor, was first granted to Salem in 1660.

For a time in the 1670s, the island was rented to John Turner, the builder of Salem’s celebrated House of the Seven Gables. It later passed into private ownership. Today, it’s the state’s largest residential island north of Boston. The population is almost entirely seasonal; only a caretaker lives on the island in winter.

42 32 11 N
70 47 09 W

Accessibility: The lighthouse can be seen distantly from Salem Willows Park and Winter Island in Salem, and from Chandler Hovey Park on Marblehead Neck. It can also be seen from Manchester-by-the-Sea’s Boardman Ave. / Harbor Street loop. The island is closed to the general public; the lighthouse is best seen by boat. Station established: 1791; Current lighthouse tower built: 1820; Automated: 1972. Construction material: Granite; Tower height: 59 feet; Height of focal plane: 111 feet.