Bird Island Lighthouse
Marion, Massachusetts
Built in 1819
Location:
On Bird Island, marking the entrance to Sippican Harbor in Marion, Mass. Across from the Kitansett Golf Course.
Latitude: 41° 40' 12" N
Longitude: 70° 42' 58" W
Historic Stories:
The lighthouse was built in 1819 on a small 1.5-acre island that never had any trees. It was in a high traffic area of whaling ships, and cargo vessels with lumber, cut nails, and salt. The first keeper was William Moore, who was a veteran of the War of 1812, although some folklore portrays him as a pirate sent to the island as a kind of prison, which was not true. He was, however, met with much controversy with the local townsfolk during his tenure there, as he had secretly married a society lady from Boston, out of his class.
Pirates were sometimes seen in the area while the lighthouse was being built, so the tower and keeper's residence were built of stone for protection. |
Original Bird Island Light |
In December 1819, a severe winter storm devastated the light station. Keeper Moore lost his boat and a supply of wood in the incident.
As one who didn't relish going into town to socialize, Moore also conducted experiments for improving products involving whale oil. He also experimented with air boxes to help boats from sinking.
Did the Keeper Murder His Wife?
Local townsfolk would try to smuggle tobacco and liquor to the lighthouse to help Moore's wife with her battling tuberculosis, against his wishes. When she died, there was much controversy from the local townsfolk. Being a private man, although he clamed that his wife had died from the effects of tobacco that was given to her, and that he had buried her himself on the island without services, many believed he murdered his wife.
Keeper Moore would leave shortly after his wife's death in 1822, and was assigned to Billingsgate Lighthouse on Cape Cod.
Years afterwards, many keepers would claim to have been awakened by someone rapping on the door, and observe a ghostly figure of a hunched over woman.
When the keeper’s house was being torn down in 1889, long after Moore's death, a rifle and tobacco were found in a secret hiding place, further adding to the speculation of murder. A note however, was also found from the keeper himself, condemning those who accused him of harming his wife, whom he loved dearly.
Keeper Charles Clark had a brother who visited the lighthouse. One day the brother was cleaning a gun that was loaded, and it went off. The keeper sent out a distress signal and a medical boat was quickly brought to the island. His brother survived the ordeal that nearly killed him.
Bad luck continued to curse those who inhabited the island. Peter Murray, who became keeper of the light in 1891, experienced one of the most severe winters in the region. His eleven-month-old son Gerald was struck with pneumonia and was dying during a relentless storm. Unable to leave the island, Murray decided to extinguish the light to try to bring help to the island from shore. When help finally arrived as the storm finally calmed, it was too late, the boy had perished. The family buried the infant on the mainland, but never returned to Bird Island.
On September 30, 1907, a strong gale storm came down on the region. Keeper Zimri Robinson saw a motorboat with two men trying to reach shore but the winds were pushing it out to sea. He observed that the boat also appeared to be sinking as it was filling with water from the breaking waves. Robinson jumped into his boat and spent most of the night trying to get the men into his boat, then using all his might to row through the forceful winds against him to reach shore, which he finally succeeded in reaching the shore in the early morning.
In another storm, Keeper Robinson, who had a garden, a cow, and a large flock of hens, witnessed the entire island being washed over and remaining underwater for over an hour. As the sea poured into the keeper's building cellar, the cow and hens were floating around but were able to remain on the island until the waters subsided.
Bird Island Light After 1890
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With the creation of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914, shipping traffic significantly decreased in the area and the lighthouse was decommissioned in 1933. |
The desctructive hurricane of September 21,1938 hit the island and took all the buildings off the island except the current tower.
The town of Marion purchased the property in 1966 as an important nesting site for terns, and in 1997 the lighthouse was relit permanently for local mariners. The island is now managed by the Bird Island Preservation Society.
Places to Visit Nearby:
Marion is located on Buzzards Bay with golfing and other recreational activities for its community and visitors alike. It's a quiet place where many vacationers pass by on route to Cape Cod.
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The lighthouse can be viewed on the road on route to the Kitansett Golf Course. |
At the golf course, in the back parking lot of the facility there is a small trail you can also view Bird Island Light and Cleveland Light a distance away. Ask permission to take photographs.
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Visitors with normal binoculars can get a view of Cleveland East Ledge Lighthouse behind Bird Island Light along the road on the way to the Kitansett Golf Course. |
| There are plenty of golf courses in the region for visitors, and roads meander around the coast with lots of beautiful architecture to enjoy. |  |
A few miles west, vistors can explore Bourne, which lies at the “gateway” to Cape Cod along the Cape Cod Canal with parks outlining the canal shores for nice quiet views. The Cape Cod Canal railroad bridge itself is quite a spectacle as a verticle lift bridge, and the view from the Cape Cod Canal Bridge takes you over 135 feet above the canal.
In Bourne, Monument Beach is a popular destination for those that don’t want to drive all the way into the Cape and is located just before the entrance to the Cape Cod Canal. It’s a good-sized quiet beach, is very popular with local windsurfers, and has a docking area for boaters. Visitors can also enjoy the Concerts in the Park series over the summer, and the famous Scallop Festival in September.
For the kid in all of us, there is the Cartwheels2 Fun Center with the largest Go Cart track in the region, including Cape Cod. If you feel like getting wet, check out the Water Wizz Fun Park in East Wareham.
Directions for a Distant View:
- The lighthouse is best viewed from a boat, however distant views with a long lens are possible from land.
- From Route 6 northeast of Marion, turn south on Butler Point Road.
- Follow Butler Point Road to the Kitansett Golf Course at its dead end from where views of the light are possible from the seawall.
Books to Explore
Lighthouses and Coastal Attractions of Southern New England: This book provides special human interest stories from each of the 92 lighthouses of southern New England, along with plenty of indoor and outdoor coastal attractions and tours you can explore. You'll also find more details as to why Bird Island light is considered haunted. Look inside! |
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 Available in paperback, hardcover, and as an eBook for all devices.
Enjoy a 10% discount on the hardcover version. Printed and distributed globally by IngramSpark. |
The Rise and Demise of the Largest Sailing Ships: In the early 1900s, New England shipbuilders constructed the world’s largest sailing ships amid social and political reforms. These giants of sail were built to carry massive quantities of coal and building supplies and measured longer than a football field! These true stories include competitions, accidents, battling destructive storms, acts of heroism, and their final voyages. |
