Scituate Lighthouse in Massachusetts
Scituate Lighthouse’s “Army of Two” During the War of 1812
In Massachusetts, Scituate Lighthouse was built in 1811, just before the War of 1812 broke out between the new America and the British. Scituate’s first Keeper was Simeon Bates, who stayed on until he died in 1834. He and his wife lived with their nine children at the lighthouse. Two of their daughters, Abigail and Rebecca Bates, became famous heroic figures in saving the town from a British invasion.
British warships frequently raided New England coastal towns during the War of 1812. On June 11, 1814, British forces burned and plundered several ships around Scituate’s Harbor. The keeper fired a small cannon twice at a British warship as it departed from the harbor, although it missed, and the ship continued without retaliation. After the incident, the townspeople, including the keeper and his family at the lighthouse, were on constant watch for another possible invasion into the town.
Scituate lighthouse near sunset.
On September 1, 1814, most of the Bates family had gone into town to gather supplies and visit with other family members. Twenty-one-year-old Rebecca was left in charge of the lighthouse with her younger sister, Abigail. The sisters enjoyed playing a fife and drum together, as the older Rebecca could play four military tunes with her fife, including “Yankee Doodle.”
Anchored outside Scituate Harbor, the sisters noticed to their horror, a British warship in the distance, with two boats of “red coats” leaving from the ship, rowing towards the mainland. Knowing that firing shots from a musket from the lighthouse may only wound or kill a couple of soldiers as they neared, and fearing the British were about to attack the town, Rebecca decided to try another approach. She grabbed her fife and told Abigail to grab her drum. The two girls then ran into a nearby group of cedar trees out of sight of the British and began to play “Yankee Doodle,” as they had practiced many times before. They kept playing louder and louder in hopes of making the British believe a local regiment was organizing nearby to protect the town. They had succeeded in deceiving the commander of the British warship, as they could see the boats returning to the ship and the vessel starting to sail out of site. The famous “Lighthouse Army of Two” became local heroes for preventing a British Naval Force from sacking the town.
In their later years, both Rebecca and Abigail received pensions from Congress in recognition of their heroism. Many years after their deaths, some locals claimed to have seen the daughters’ ghosts, and there have been many accounts of fife and drum military music playing by the lighthouse.
Another famous account from Scituate also occurred previously during the War of 1812. In 1813, a renowned sea battle occurred, seen from the lighthouse between the American USS Chesapeake and the British HMS Shannon. The sea battle itself is not so famous, but the USS Chesapeake’s Commander, Captain James Lawton’s final words are well known when he cried, “Don’t give up the ship!” although the American vessel lost the battle.
Scituate Lighthouse is the country’s oldest complete original lighthouse tower and keeper’s house combination.
Exploring Scituate Lighthouse and Grounds
Back side of Scituate Lighthouse with beach
Scituate Lighthouse is a favorite destination for tourists to drive to and explore the surrounding area. There is a nice walk along the breakwater jetty for views of Scituate Lighthouse from the water, and behind the lighthouse, there is a quiet beach and jetty to relax or explore. The area around the lighthouse is a favorite place for many artists to paint and enjoy, and the keeper’s building is also a museum open to the public.
History buffs can visit the Maritime and Irish Mossing Museum, where you can learn about lifesaving stations and artifacts, information on the Portland Gale of 1898, and the life of being a sea captain.
Each year, Scituate Heritage Days, usually in August, celebrate’s the town’s history, local businesses, and many events and entertainment. Take a ride along the south shore of Massachusetts and visit this beacon!
Here are some photos of Scituate Lighthouse.
Enjoy!
Allan Wood
Books to Explore
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships: Stories of the Six and Seven-Masted Coal Schooners of New England. In the early 1900s, New England shipbuilders constructed the world’s largest sailing ships amid social and political reforms. These giants were the ten original six-masted coal schooners and one colossal seven-masted vessel, built to carry massive quantities of coal and building supplies and measured longer than a football field! This self-published book, balanced with plenty of color and vintage images, showcases the historical accounts that followed these mighty ships.
Available also from bookstores in paperback, hardcover, and as an eBook for all devices.
Enjoy a 10% discount on the hardcover version. Printed and distributed by IngramSpark.
Book – Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions in Southern New England: Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Southern New England: Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. This 300-page book provides memorable human interest stories from each of the 92 lighthouses, including about the Bates sisters fending off the British at Scituate Lighthouse. You can explore plenty of indoor and outdoor coastal attractions, including whale-watching excursions, lighthouse tours, windjammer sailing tours, parks, museums, and even lighthouses where you can stay overnight. You’ll also find plenty of stories of hauntings around lighthouses.
Book – Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions in Northern New England: New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Northern New England: New Hampshire, Maine, and Vermont. This 300-page book provides memorable human interest stories from each of the 76 lighthouses. It also describes and provides contact info for plenty of indoor and outdoor coastal attractions and tours. These include whale watching, lighthouse tours, unique parks, museums, and lighthouses where you can stay overnight. There are also stories of haunted lighthouses in these regions.
Book- New England Lighthouses: Famous Shipwrecks, Rescues & Other Tales
New England Lighthouses: Famous Shipwrecks, Rescues & Other Tales contains over 50 stories. This image-rich book also contains vintage images provided by the Coast Guard and various organizations and paintings by six famous Coast Guard artists.
You can purchase this book and the lighthouse tourism books from the publisher Schiffer Books or in many fine bookstores such as Barnes and Noble.
Copyright © Allan Wood Photography; do not reproduce without permission. All rights reserved.
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