Little Brewster Island

A view of Little Brewster Island from the water.

NPS photo

Quick Facts

Location:

Boston Harbor

Significance:

Home to Boston Light, the oldest lighthouse station in the country.

OPEN TO PUBLIC:

No

MANAGED BY:

United States Coast Guard

Little Brewster Island sits 9.3 miles from downtown Boston. The island is characterized by a large cliff on the northern side of the island, and mussel beds that connect the island to Great Brewster Island during low tide.¹ Perhaps best known as the home of Boston Light, this 7-acre island is rich with history.

Mariners first petitioned to erect a lighthouse in the outer mouth of the harbor as early as 1713. In response, a committee led by Lieutenant Governor William Tailer scouted several islands for the most suitable place for a light. In 1715, the General Court of Massachusetts passed the Boston Light Bill. This bill named the location for the light as the southern part of Great Brewster Island, then called Beacon Island, and today known as Little Brewster Island. The town of Hull granted the island for use and construction began.² Built of rough-cut stone, and first lit in 1716, Boston Light, became the first lighthouse in the United States. Other structures built on the island during this period included a house, wharf, and a barn.³

The first keeper, Georges Worthylake, grazed sheep on Great Brewster Island. In November 1718 while on a trip back to Little Brewster, Worthylake drowned just off the edge of the island. Perhaps even more tragically, several others drowned with him, including his wife, daughters, an enslaved person named Shadwell, and a servant. The following year, the third lighthouse keeper, John Hayes, requested a fog gun be placed on the island to aid vessels in fog. The court approved his request and installed a cannon on the island in 1719. The cannon remained on the island for 132 years.⁴

Following the passage of the Boston Port Bill, the British arrived in the harbor and took control of the island. In July 1775, a detachment of soldiers, under command of Major Vose, landed on the island and burnt the wooden parts of Boston Light. Although British Marines began repairs immediately, 300 soldiers sent by General Washington descended upon the island two weeks later and rendered the light unserviceable. The British began repairs once more, but they had not finished by the time they evacuated Boston in June 1776. As they left, they destroyed Boston Light.

Little Brewster Island remained dark until 1783 when the Massachusetts Legislature paid to erect a new lighthouse on the base of the original light.⁵ The new light stood at 75 feet, raised to 89 feet in 1859. Built with rubble stone and lined with brick, its foundation is granite. The Commonwealth maintained control of the light, until 1790 when the federal government took control of both the light and by default the island as well.⁶

The rocks that surrounded Boston Light still proved themselves dangerous and wrecks continued into the 1800s. Keepers at Boston Light actively participated in lifesaving missions. In 1840, the keeper rescued 30 people from the Diana. which had filled with water during a storm. In 1860, a keeper housed the crew of the Ewan Crerar, who had rowed to Little Brewster Island after their brig had gotten caught on a ledge along the Graves. In 1861, Hull Pilot Boat No 2 rescued 13 survivors off the coast of Shag Rocks; those who did not survive washed up on the shore of the island days later.⁷

To pass the time on the secluded island, different keepers had different strategies. Some, such as George Worthlake, had families living with them. Others supplemented their income by entertaining sailors. Tobias Cook, keeper from 1844 until 1849, enjoyed hosting visitors on the island. This included a short-lived "Spanish" cigar factory, which brought young girls in from Boston. Cook’s successor, William Long, kept an active social agenda as well. His daughter’s journal recounts trips to Great Brewster and around the Brewster Spit during low tide. She also highlights numerous visitors to the island, even saying:

As many as six pilots landing at once to enjoy a social hour or two at the light.⁸

During World War I, Boston Light dimmed in response to U-boat alarms. In 1940, the U.S Coast Guard took control of the light and extinguished the light during World War II. In 1948, the Coast Guard electrified the light.

Though electrified, Boston Light continues to be permanently staffed, as authorized by Congress in 1989. Current lighthouse keeper Dr. Sally Snowman has served since 2003. Snowman is both the first civilian keeper of the light and the first female keeper. The island is not accessible to visitors, due to a dock broken during a winter storm several years ago.⁹

Learn More...

Island Facts: Little Brewster - Boston Harbor Islands National Recreation Area (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Footnotes 

1. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 2: Existing Conditions (Boston: National Park Service, 2017), 78, 101-110.
2. Ralph Smith, "Photograph, Gelatin- Silver Print" Accessed April 11, 2023;  Moses Foster Sweetser, King's Handbook of Boston Harbor (Cambridge, MA: Moses King, 1883), 216-218.
3. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 2: Existing Conditions (Boston: National Park Service, 2017), 101-110.
4. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 1: Historical Overview (Boston: National Park Service, 2017), 60-62; National Park Service Boston Harbor Islands, "Boston Light," Accessed April 11, 2023.
5. Ralph Smith, "Photograph, Gelatin- Silver Print" Accessed April 11, 2023; Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 1: Historical Overview (Boston: National Park Service, 2017), 60- 62.
6. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 2: Existing Conditions (Boston: National Park Service, 2017), 101-110; United States Coast Guard, "Boston Light," Accessed April 11, 2023.
7. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 1: Historical Overview (Boston: National Park Service, 2017), 65-68.
8. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 1: Historical Overview (Boston: National Park Service, 2017), 62, 65-67.
9. Olmsted Center for Landscape Preservation, Cultural Landscape Report: Boston Harbor Islands National & State Park, Volume 2: Existing Conditions (Boston: National Park Service, 2017), 101-102.