Bakers Island Light Station in Salem, Massachusetts, has transformed over the past seven seasons from a dilapidated collection of buildings into a beautifully maintained and accessible historic site within the Essex National Heritage Area. Each season, volunteers contribute thousands of hours to ensure that the 10-acre light station is kept up and has everything it needs to welcome visitors. Volunteer caretakers Tara and Brian Flanagan have spent the past four summers living and working at the light station and they log more than 1,500 hours worked each season.
During the season, more than 130 volunteers contributed over 2,200 hours of time. Just a few of the projects completed included:
- rebuilding a post-and-rail fence
- installing new kitchen countertops in the Assistant Keeper’s House
- repairing rotten floorboards and painting the breezeway in the Main Keeper’s House
- building a third tent platform in the campground
- installing a small solar power system in the campground shed to power a refrigerator and charging station
- building a deck for the campground outhouse
- building a wooden bench and several wooden Adirondack chairs for guests
- clearing a new walking trail for visitors
- various other painting and maintenance projects.
If you would like to become a Bakers Island Light volunteer, please contact Ryan at ryanc@essexheritage.org.
For more information click here.
U.S. Lighthouse Society Historian Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of 24 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is a past president of the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s weekly podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org