WayfarrowBoston Light
Lighthouse · Plymouth County, Massachusetts
Boston Light is a lighthouse in Plymouth County, Massachusetts. Massachusetts has 81 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 8 of them in Plymouth County.
It was built in 1783, in the colonial and early republic era, making it the oldest of the 50 in Massachusetts with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 89 feet tall (5th tallest of 36 measured in Massachusetts); its light sits 102 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 10s (a white flash every 10 seconds), with a range of about 27 nautical miles; it was deactivated in 1776.
Status check, 2026-11: The British blew up the 1716 tower in 1776; it was rebuilt in 1783 at 75 ft and raised to 89 ft in 1859. Boston Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not reachable by road: the nearest road is about 1 mile away, so it is seen from shore or reached by water. It stands at 42.3279° N, 70.8901° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1783 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 89 ft |
| Focal height | 102 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 10s |
| Range | 27 nautical miles |
| Deactivated | 1776 |
| Heritage designation | National Historic Landmark |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 42.32792, -70.89014 |
Nearby places
- Lovells Island Range Lightslighthouse · Suffolk County · 2.1 mi
- The Graves Lightlighthouse · Plymouth County · 2.8 mi
- Deer Island Lightlighthouse · Suffolk County · 3.4 mi
- Long Island Head Lightlighthouse · Suffolk County · 3.5 mi
- Spectacle Island Range Lightslighthouse · Suffolk County · 4.8 mi
- Broad Sound Channel Inner Range Lightslighthouse · Suffolk County · 4.9 mi
- Fort Winthropghost town · Suffolk County · 6.4 mi
- Egg Rock Lightlighthouse · Essex County · 7.3 mi
- Minot's Ledge Lightlighthouse · Plymouth County · 7.8 mi
- Adamsvilleghost town · Norfolk County · 11 mi
- Old Scituate Lightlighthouse · Plymouth County · 12.3 mi
- Marblehead Lightlighthouse · Essex County · 12.6 mi
Questions
Where is Boston Light?
Boston Light is in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, at 42.3279, -70.8901.
How many lighthouses are in Plymouth County?
Plymouth County, Massachusetts has 8 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.