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The first order Fresnel lens, one of two lenses installed at the Thacher Island Light Station in Massachusetts, where there are two nearly identical towers, has come out of storage and has been restored and put on display at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester, Massachusetts as part of a joint project of the museum and the Thacher Island Association. It is one of only 39 first order lenses in the United States. The lens was originally in the south tower, which is known as the Cape Ann Light, until the 1980s when it was removed. The 10-foot tall, six foot in diameter lens was on display at the Coast Guard Museum in New London, Connecticut until 2011 when it was removed and put in storage.
The conservation and assembly at the Cape Ann Museum took two weeks to complete and was done under the direction of lampist Jim “Woody” Woodward of The Lighthouse Consultant LLC; Jim Dunlap of Lighthouse and Lens Restoration Corp.; and Kurt Fosburg of Superior Lighthouse Restoration, LLC. This was a major undertaking and expense that was funded though the generosity of others.
The lens can now be seen at the Cape Ann Museum, 27 Pleasant Street, Gloucester, Massachusetts.
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