Minot’s Ledge I Love You Lighthouse, 143

Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse winks and blinks “I Love You” to Lighthouse Lovers on Valentine’s Day and everyday! Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse is one of the most romantic Lighthouses in our country.

The distinctive Light Characteristic of Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse uses a 1-4-3 flashing sequence which is the same numerical count as the words “I love you.” Romantic Lighthouse Lovers on the shore of Minot Beach soon nicknamed the granite Lighthouse, the “Lover’s Light” or the “I Love You Light.”

Five months after the second Lighthouse was first lit on Nov 15, 1860, Fitz James O’Brien’s “Minot’s Ledge” poem was published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine.

On Aug 25, 1871, Poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote of his visit to Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse:

“…we find ourselves at the base of the lighthouse rising sheer out of the sea like a huge stone cannon, mouth upward. We are hoisted up forty feet in a chair, some of us; others go up by an iron ladder… The lighthouse rises out of the sea like a beautiful stone cannon, mouth upward, belching forth only friendly fires.” – Final Memorials of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, 1887

In 1901, Helen Keller romanticized her passing Minot’s Ledge Light on her way to Boston Harbor:
“…the colors warmed and deepened as we watched the beautiful, gold-tinted clouds peacefully take possession of the sky. Then came the sun, gathering the mist into silvery bands with which he wreathed the islands that lifted their heads out of the purple sea as it passed.

A mighty tide of life and joy followed in its track. The ocean awoke, ships and boats of every description sprang from the waves as if by magic; and as we sighted Minot’s Ledge Light, a great six-masted schooner with snowy sails passed us like a beautiful winged spirit, bound for some unknown haven beyond the bar.

How delightful it was to see Minot’s Ledge in the morning light. There one expects to see the ocean lashed into fury by the splendid resistance of the rocks; but as we passed the ‘light’ seemed to rise out of the tranquil water, like Venus from her morning bath. It seemed so near, I thought I could touch it; but I am rather glad I did not; for perhaps the lovely illusion would have been destroyed had I examined it more closely.” – Helen Keller

Ironically, the 1-4-3 numerical flash pattern was randomly selected after Lt. Frederick Mahan, U.S.N., a member of the Lighthouse Board, recommended all Lighthouses have a numerical flash sequence in 1890. Due to the high costs of these special lenses, only two Fresnel lenses were made and displayed at the Chicago Worlds Fair of 1893.

Cape Charles Light Station, located on Smith Island, Virginia, was First Lit on August 15, 1895 exhibiting 9 Flashes every 30 seconds using a 4-5 pattern (four quick flashes followed by a dark interval of three seconds, then five more flashes followed by sixteen seconds of darkness) illuminated by a First-order Fresnel lens.

Minot’s Ledge Light, located on Minot’s Ledge, a 25-foot-wide rock ledge that is part of the Cohasset Rocks located approximately one mile offshore from the town of Cohasset, Massachusetts, was refitted with Second-order Fresnel lens and re-lighted on May 1, 1894 exhibiting 8 Flashes every 45 seconds using a 1-4-3 pattern (one quick flash followed by a dark interval of five seconds, four flashes, and three flashes followed by 15.5 seconds of darkness).

According to Lighthouse Lore, Minot’s Ledge Light is haunted by two assistant Light-keepers, Joseph Wilson and Joseph Antoine, who lost their lives when the first iron-pile Lighthouse was destroyed by a severe storm on April 17, 1851. Several Light-keepers of the new dovetailed granite Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse reported seeing the two supernatural phantom Light-keepers in the Lantern Room in the middle of the night and the images of the two drowned keepers would appear in the doorway when they looked at the reflection of the tower in the water on calm sunny days. The ringing of a phantom bell and knocks were frequently heard at night.

Lighthouse Legend also claims the local fishermen and Light-keepers can hear the phantom of Joseph Antoine cry “Stay Away” in his native tongue of Portuguese and they also claim to see him clinging to ladder of the Tower. Perhaps the most bizarre legend was the mysterious polishing of the Fresnel lens and the mysterious cleaning of the windows of the Lantern Room before the human assistant Light-keepers could clean them!

Since spectral visions are a highly subjective surreal experience, please click on the photo of this post for more information about the human history of this Lighthouse, travel tips, and Lighthouse Cruises.

For a Map Location of the Lighthouse, please visit the Google Map of Minot’s Ledge Lighthouse

Hopefully, you will not receive chocolates from a Secret Spectral Sweetheart!

Happy Valentine’s Day!

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