Historical Materials

The Annisquam Light was built at Wigwam Point on the east side of the northern entrance to the Annisquam River. In its early years the Annisquam Harbor was an important shipping and fishing destination; the Annisquam Light was built in 1801 to mark the entrance to the Annisquam Harbor. The original Annisquam Lighthouse was a 32-foot-tall wooden tower and adjoining wooden keeper's house; the house still stands today. Over the years the wooden tower was plagued by rot and in such terrible shape that it was held up by wooden spars. An inspection report from I.W.P Lewis stated that the Annisquam Light needed "rebuilding entirely". To fix the problems concerning the Annisquam Light, a new 40-foot-tall octagonal tower was built in 1851, a fifth-order Fresnel lens was added in 1857, and a 109-foot covered walkway linking the keeper's house and tower was constructed in 1867.

 This information has been shared with the Lane project by Jeremy D'Entremont. More information can be found at his website, www.newenglandlighthouses.net or in The Lighthouse Handbook New England. This information has also been summarized from Paul St. Germain's book, Lighthouses and Lifesaving Stations on Cape Ann.