WayfarrowTarpaulin Cove Light
Lighthouse · Dukes County, Massachusetts
Tarpaulin Cove Light is a lighthouse in Dukes County, Massachusetts. Massachusetts has 81 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 8 of them in Dukes County.
It was built in 1891, in the late 19th century, making it the 36th oldest of the 50 in Massachusetts with a recorded construction date; its light sits 79 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl W 6s (a white flash every 6 seconds), with a range of about 9 nautical miles.
Status check, 2026-11: The 1817/1818 rubblestone tower was replaced in 1891 by a brick tower, which most sources date to 1891 (a 2024 GSA notice says 1856). Height is disputed: 28 ft per USCG and others, 38 ft per GSA and newenglandlighthouses.net. Tarpaulin Cove Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not reachable by road: the nearest road is about 4 miles away, so it is seen from shore or reached by water. It stands at 41.4688° N, 70.7575° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1891 |
|---|---|
| Focal height | 79 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl W 6s |
| Range | 9 nautical miles |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 41.46882, -70.75750 |
Nearby places
- Nobska Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 6.1 mi
- West Chop Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 8 mi
- Gay Head Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 9.2 mi
- Falmouth Inner Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 9.2 mi
- Dumpling Rocks Lightlighthouse · Bristol County · 9.8 mi
- Dumpling Rocks Lightlighthouse · Bristol County · 9.8 mi
- East Chop Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 9.9 mi
- Cuttyhunk Lightlighthouse · Dukes County · 10.7 mi
- Clarks Point Lightlighthouse · Bristol County · 11.4 mi
- Cleveland East Ledge Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 11.7 mi
- Butler Flats Lightlighthouse · Bristol County · 11.7 mi
- Ned Point Lightlighthouse · Plymouth County · 12.7 mi
Questions
Where is Tarpaulin Cove Light?
Tarpaulin Cove Light is in Dukes County, Massachusetts, at 41.4688, -70.7575.
How many lighthouses are in Dukes County?
Dukes 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)
- 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.