The current tower was built in 1856 to replace a deteriorating 1753 structure.
The granite tower rises to a height of 40.9 feet and measures 10 feet on each side. It is constructed of 27 rows of granite blocks, weighing a total of 180 tons. The cast iron and steel top section includes a watch room and a lantern (light) room adding another 15.3 feet. The top of the tower is 85 feet above mean low water.
Although the outside of the tower is square, the interior is circular and is brick lined with a spiral iron staircase.
Over the past 150 years the Beavertail Light has used oil, kerosene and electricity for illumination with a variety of light colors and characteristics. From 1856 until 1991 Beavertail Light used a Fresnel lens, a sparkling beehive of glass that is now housed in the Museum that could be seen at a range of 15 miles. A rotating beacon emitting a 2.5 million-candlepower beam replaced the Fresnel lens and is in use today.
In 2009, a grant from the Champlin Foundations repaired the exterior stonework and restored the watch room, lantern room, iron decks and railings.
I often heard my father tell about a vessel going on the rocks south of the light and how men came ashore carrying pails of cider and rolling pins, part of the cargo. In a severe storm, when another craft was grounded, one of the crew made his way ashore, carrying a heavy sea chest on his back.
Lena Clark daughter of Beavertail Keeper Silas Gardner Shaw
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