The Fresnel Lens & Thacher’s Island
De Hirsh Margules, Mother Ann Lighthouse, Eastern Point, Gloucester, 1946. Gouache on paper. Gift of Jean M. Horblit, 2002. [Acc. #2002.004.002]
Return of the Lens
Decommissioned in the 1980s, the Lens comes home to Cape Ann
Visit to Thacher’s Island
An 1861 account of the “new” 135-foot twin towers
Bending the Light
Augustine Fresnel’s brilliant contribution to lens technology
Anne’s Eyes
First set of towers erected in 1771 allow for safer trade in the colonies
Heroic Keepers
The brave men and women who kept the lights burning bright
Thacher’s Woe
An island forever linked by name to its tragic origins
