Health & Fitness
Campaign to Relocate and Restore Gay Head Lighthouse Begins
The "Keep on Shining" campaign to relocate and restore the Gay Head Lighthouse will kick off on Friday, June 21st with a Community Open (Light)House and Solstice Celebration.
The “Keep on Shining” campaign to relocate and restore the Gay Head Lighthouse will kick off on Friday, June 21st with a Community Open (Light)House and Solstice Celebration. Sponsored by the Martha’s Vineyard Museum and the Gay Head Lighthouse Advisory Committee, the evening will include music from a variety of Islanders as well as food and raffles. It is free and open to all.
The Gay Head Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built on Martha’s Vineyard. Since its construction in 1856, the Light has safely guided ships away from the rocky shoreline of the Island. For the past century, the historic clay cliffs on which the tower stands have been eroding, now at the rate of two feet per year. Today, the Lighthouse is approximately fifty feet away from the edge of the cliffs and needs to be moved in the next few years in order to be saved.
The U.S. Coast Guard currently owns the beacon and leases it to the Museum. The Museum has partnered with the town of Aquinnah to begin preservation efforts and together, recently formed the Gay Head Lighthouse Advisory Committee. The Committee is comprised of town representatives, members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head (Aquinnah), Museum staff members, and other community stakeholders. The Coast Guard is expected to list the Light as excess property on August 1st.
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The solstice kickoff celebration will take place on Friday, June 21st, from 5-9pm at the Gay Head Lighthouse, 9 Aquinnah Circle in Aquinnah. It is free and open to all. In the case of inclement weather, the event will take place on June 22nd. If you plan to attend, please follow all town of Aquinnah parking laws.
Visit www.mvmuseum.org for more information about upcoming programming and exhibits. The Martha's Vineyard preserves and interprets collections that engage and connect the public to the Island's history, art, and culture. The Museum is open year round, 10am to 5pm Monday through Saturday and Sunday Noon to 5pm. Admission is free to Members; admission for non-Members is $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $4 for children 6 to 15 and free for children under the age of 6.