Hyannis Rear Range Light

The Hyannis Rear Range Light was a lighthouse and, for part of its life, one of a pair of range lights at Hyannis Harbor, Massachusetts. The tower was built in 1849 and equipped with a 5th order Fresnel lens in 1856. In 1863 the original birdcage lantern was replaced with a new cast iron one. In 1885, a front light was added on the Old Colony Railroad Wharf, leading vessels to the wharf. Over time, as the channel into the adjacent Lewis Bay was dredged deeper, there was a shift of traffic into Lewis Bay and Hyannis inner harbor, and the wharf fell into disuse. The lights were discontinued in 1929 and the front range light has disappeared along with the wharf, although the outline of the wharf can still be seen in aerial photographs. The...