COURTESY OF SAVE THE GAY HEAD LIGHT COMMITTEE
The Gay Head Lighthouse was built in 1856.
AQUINNAH, Mass. (AP) — A historic Martha’s Vineyard lighthouse has arrived at its new location after a painstaking 135-foot move from the edge of an eroding cliff.
Richard Pomroy, manager of the relocation project, says the 160-year-old Gay HeadLight landed on its new location at 11:10 a.m. Saturday and lined up “beautifully dead center” on a concrete pad.
The journey on steel rails began Thursday. Pomroy says a Dixieland band played at the champagne christening for hundreds of spectators at the finish line.
The next phase begins Wednesday when a new foundation will be started.
Pomroy says it’s hoped the beacon on the 400-ton, 52-foot-tall brick lighthouse will be relit in July.
The lighthouse sits near brightly colored cliffs at the western edge of the resort island that was once a whaling center.
