Chandler Hovey Park at the northern tip of Marblehead Neck

Marblehead Light in Chandler Hovey Park

Marblehead Neck is a peninsula on the east side of Marblehead Harbor in Essex County, Massachusetts. The “Neck” has various sites of interest including Castle Rock Park and the Marblehead Neck Wildlife Sanctuary. Chandler Hovey Park—a multi-use park around a historic lighttower—is situated at its northern tip, offering vistas of the harbor and the shorelines of Beverly and Manchester-By-The-Sea [1-3].

Chandler Hovey, a resident of the Town of Marblehead, purchased this marvelous spot in the late 1940s from the U.S. government and donated it to the town. In addition to the spectacular views, its main attraction is the Marblehead Lighthouse.

According to the onsite plaque, the story of Marblehead Light (Latitude 42 Degrees 30' 20"N, Longitude 70 Degrees 50' 03"W) goes back to the year 1835, when the first light was established and lit. The present pyramidal-skeleton lighttower was erected in 1895 and lit in 1896. From then until the light automation, various operational changes happened:

• 1910 Light changed to fixed red
• 1922 Light electrified
• 1938 Light changed to green
• 1941 Light extinguished during World War II
• 1947 Land transferred by Federal Government to Town, through a generous donation  by Chandler Hovey
• 1959 Keepers quarters razed
• 1960 Light automated
  

In 1987, Marblehead Light was listed in the National Register of Historic Places [4].

Relax your head and neck from looking up the lighttower and enjoy the views north and northeast. You may spot various rocks and rock islands, especially during low tide. The Marblehead Channel, Eagle Island Channel and Salem Channel allow navigation between islands and between Massachusetts Bay and Salem Sound. On a clear day, the coastline stretching from Beverly to Gloucester can be recognized at the horizon. 

View of Beverly and Manchester-By-The-Sea coastline

Getting there

The park is located at the end of Follett Street, off Ocean Avenue, at the northern tip of Marblehead Neck. Follow the direction to Castle Rock Park and continue north. 

If you want to skip Castle Rock or get there on your return drive, follow Ocean Avenue across the sandbar and then turn left and use Harbor Avenue, as a shortcut. Harbor Avenue meets Ocean Avenue again after about one mile.

Mapcarta: https://mapcarta.com/22211106.

References and more to explore

[1] Parks. Town of Marblehead - Massachusetts. Website: https://www.marblehead.org/about-marblehead/pages/parks.

[2] Marblehead Light. Maritime History of Massachusetts. Website: https://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/maritime/mbl.htm.

[3] Chandler Hovey Park and Marblehead Light Tower. Essex National Heritage Area. Website: https://essexheritage.org/attractions/chandler-hovey-park-and-marblehead-light-tower.

[4] Marblehead Light. National Register Information System ID: 87001479. National Park Service. Website: https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/87001479.