August 26, 1984. Coastguardsman Patrick Doherty adjusts the lighhouse lamp while standing in the middle of the second-order Fresnel lens imported from France in 1859. The assembly is 11 feet tall, comprised of 336 individual prisms with 12 bullseyes. The light Doherty is cleaning is a 1,000 watt lamp, magnified to 2,000,000 candle power by the Fresnel lens that's visible for 27 nautical miles on a clear night. The second lamp is for backup.

Aug. 26, 1984. Coast Guardsman Patrick Doherty adjusted the lighthouse lamp while standing in the middle of the second-order Fresnel lens imported from France in 1859. The assembly is 11 feet tall, composed of 336 individual prisms with 12 bulls-eyes. The light Doherty was cleaning is a 1,000 watt lamp, magnified to 2 million candle power by the Fresnel lens that was visible for 27 nautical miles on a clear night. The second lamp was for backup. Ted Dully/Globe Staff

Boston Light

Aug. 15, 1932. Swimmers reached shore at the finish of the 1932 Boston Light race, an annual event begun in 1907. Won this day in the professional class by Joe Nunan from Charlestown in 5 hours 57 seconds, and in the amateur class by John Jarosh of South Boston in 5 hours, 5 minutes.

The Boston Globe |

Dec. 24, 1940: The "Flying Santa Claus," Edward Rowe Snow, a high school teacher and coastal historian, flew out of Boston on Dec. 22 to bring Christmas cheer to lonely outposts on the New England coast. Continuing a tradition begun a decade ago by Captain William H. Wincapaw of Maine, the Flying Santa sent a bundle (seen here being dropped directly under the plane's fuselage) to the keepers of Boston Light. All lighthouses, lightships, and Coast Guard shore stations received a 14-pound package containing candy, cigarettes, a calendar, and almanac. At stations where children resided, toys were also dropped.

associated press |

January 10, 1968. Boston Light appears frozen solid following four days of bitter record-setting cold, snow and gale force winds in New England.

Jan. 10, 1968. Boston Light appeared frozen solid following four days of bitter record-setting cold, snow, and gale force winds in New England.

Joe Runci/Globe Staff |

Ted Dully/Globe Staff |

March 27 1989. Wicky the cat looks out at the lighthouse from his perch in the lightkeeper's cottage. He is one of many pets who have lived on the island since the lighthouse was built in 1716. Many families manned the lighthouse over the years and a school was established on the island in 1910 taught by Miss Mela Hatchard of Hull, who stayed on the island during the week and returned to Hull on the weekends and school vacation.

March 27, 1989. Wicky the cat looked out at the lighthouse from his perch in the lightkeeper's cottage. He was one of many pets who lived on the island since the lighthouse was built in 1716. Many families manned the lighthouse over the years, and a school was established on the island in 1910, taught by Mela Hatchard of Hull, who stayed on the island during the week and returned to Hull on the weekends and school vacation.

Stan Grossfeld/Globe Staff |

November 22, 1993. Coastguardman Mark Clements washes the windows at the Boston Lighthouse. The Hull coastline is in the background. Boston Light became the last lighthouse in the United States to be automated on April 16, 1998 but a Coast Guard crew continued to perform all the traditional keeper's duties - like washing windows - until September 11, 2001 when the Coast Guard assigned to the island were called to duty after the terrorist attack on America. Since then the lighhouse has been manned by Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteer personnel.

Nov. 22, 1993. Coast Guardman Mark Clements washed the windows at the Boston Lighthouse. The Hull coastline is in the background. Boston Light became the last lighthouse in the United States to be automated on April 16, 1998, but a Coast Guard crew continued to perform all the traditional keeper's duties — such as washing windows — until Sept. 11, 2001, when the Coast Guard assigned to the island were called to duty after the terrorist attack on America. Since then the lighthouse has been manned by Coast Guard Auxiliary volunteer personnel.

David L. Ryan/Globe Staff |