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The 1788 Fresnel lens still in use at Plum Island Light

The 1788 Fresnel lens still in use at Plum Island Light

Photo: Adavyd / Wikimedia Commons , CC BY-SA 3.0 , resized

263, Northern Boulevard, Plum Island Point, Plum Island, Newburyport, Essex County, Massachusetts, 01951, United States

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#Industrial heritage #Architecture and design
Kyle McLonely

Most historical artifacts are museum pieces, but this 18th-century glass lens is still doing the actual work of guiding ships.

The Newburyport Harbor Light, also known as Plum Island Light, is a historic lighthouse built in 1788. Located on Northern Boulevard in Newburyport, Massachusetts, the tower stands 13.7 metres tall and serves as a functional piece of 18th-century technology.

The light contains an original 4th order Fresnel lens that is still in use today. This lens is one of only five original glass Fresnel lenses still in active service across the state of Massachusetts.

The City of Newburyport owns the light and it is leased to the Friends of Plum Island Light. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 1987, with reference number 87001485.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Guide me

Hear this story where it happened, along with the others around it. Say how many days you have and what you are into, and we put together a route through these places, with a voice guide telling each story as you arrive.

Guide me

Written by Kyle McLonely

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