Reproduction of Nantucket Island’s Brant Point Lighthouse

Reproduction of Nantucket Island’s Brant Point Lighthouse. . , Mystic Seaport’s lighthouse is a reproduction of Nantucket Island’s Brant Point Lighthouse. Built in 1966, it is an exact replica in size and scale and uses a fourth order Fresnel lens., Only the second lighthouse built in the English American colonies, Nantucket’s Brant Point light was first built in 1746 to mark the entrance to Nantucket Harbor. Rebuilt eight times since then, the current structure dates to 1901. With a light only 26 feet above the water, it is the lowest lighthouse in New England., Lighthouses have helped sailors identify harbors and avoid coastal dangers since ancient Egyptian times. But their methods for making light changed over the centuries, from burning piles of wood to whale-oil lamps to today’s automated, electronic lighthouses. Our lighthouse uses a fourth order Fresnel lens. Developed in France in the 1830s, this lens was a technological breakthrough in its ability to focus light and create a stronger beam., Inside you can see two short, panoramic films that bring to life the story of American lighthouses and their keepers. Displayed on 5 LCD screens, the films use modern and historic film footage, stories, sound, and illustrations to explore how lighthouses saved sailors and ships over the centuries., , ( inset ) , The French dramatically improved lighthouse technology in the 1830s with the development of the Fresnel lens. Our replica lighthouse uses a 4th-order Fresnel lens, smaller than the 5th-order lens that Nantucket’s Brant Point light once used. This photo shows a 5th order Fresnel lens that is in the Museum’s collection and on loan from the U.S. Coast Guard.