|
Bishop and Clerks Ledge is an area two and a half miles south
of Point Gammon. The
ledge extends for half a mile, and was once an island. At
one time, sheep were ferried to the island to pasture. By
1791, however, the site was referred to as "Nantucket
Shoals" (Clark, p. 120). The reef was sufficiently
dangerous that a lightship was stationed there in 1855.
Lightship #4 marked Bishop and Clerks from 1855-1858.
During the winter of 1856, the lightship, like all other lightships
on the Cape, was damaged by storms. In 1857, Lightship #4
was the only lightship on the cape undamaged by storms.
This lightship station was the shortest-lived lightship
station in New England.
Funding for a lighthouse was appropriated in
1856, and the lighthouse completed in 1858. The work was
difficult, as the stones had to be cut on shore and ferried
to the site. The gray granite tower was 65 feet tall, with a
wooden bell tower on the west side. The light was equipped
with a fourth-order Fresnel lens. This lighthouse replaced Point Gammon Light. The
light was automated in 1923, and the Fresnel lens downgraded
to fifth-order. The light was discontinued in 1928.
|
