Scituate, Massachusetts, is located in the heart of the South Shore. With an expansive harbor, punctuated by a historic lighthouse and a thriving commercial district, Scituate is quaint enough to fall in love with but has enough amenities that make it livable. Check out this afternoon in Scituate where we scope out two lighthouses, head to the beach, visit one of the state’s smallest state parks, enjoy the bustling harborfront, and end with a beer at a local brewery.
The Old Scituate Light and the American Army of Two
The Scituate Lighthouse is located at Cedar Point at the entrance to the town’s harbor. It was built in 1811 and its first lighthouse keeper was a man named Simeon Bates. In June 1814, the town of Scituate was invaded by the British during the War of 1812. Afterward, the townspeople decided that they needed a militia to protect them.
Simeon had many children, but on a fateful day during that same summer two of his daughters, Rebecca, age twenty, and Abigail, age seventeen, were at the lighthouse by themselves. As Rebecca was in the kitchen, she noticed a frigate in the ocean. As she peered out from the top of the lighthouse, she could see longboats being filled with soldiers from the ship rowing their boats towards Scituate harbor.
Fending off the British
At first, the girls thought of using muskets to fire at the redcoats but quickly reconsidered. Rebecca and Abigail saw a fife and drum. The fife had been in the family’s possession, while the drum was left by the militia. They gathered the instruments, ducked behind a dune, and played them as loudly as they could. One girl was banging on the drum while the other whistled into her fife the patriotic anthem “Yankee Doodle” as loudly as she could. The event took place in September. Earlier in the summer, in June, the British had set ablaze ten boats.
The confused British heard the drum beat and fife melody and quickly turned around, for they thought the militia was assembled near the lighthouse. The British hoped that their presence would go unnoticed until it was too late for the Americans, but the two Bates girls foiled the British plans. The townsfolk marched over to the lighthouse, also thinking that the militia had assembled there, but instead only found two girls, the girls that saved Scituate harbor!
The Old Scituate Light
In the lighthouse keeper’s house is a painting from 1906 of the Bates girls, and a historic placard located on the lighthouse grounds relays the story of the two young ladies. Rebecca and Abigail lived to be old women and are buried in Union Cemetery. The Scituate Lighthouse is the country’s eleventh lighthouse and is one of the oldest lighthouses in America today. With the emergence of Minot Light located in the ocean off the shore of Scituate, the old lighthouse’s prominence waned. The light went into a period of serious decline but was eventually purchased by the town. In the 1960s the historical society was granted money to renovate and repair it and in the 1980s it was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
The lighthouse today is the property of the Scituate Historical Society, and the current lighthouse keeper is Bob Gallagher, who is an active member of the historical society. The address is 100 Lighthouse Road in Scituate. Visit Bob’s blog at www.scituate-light.com for updates and news regarding the lighthouse.
Minot’s Ledge Light
Whereas the Old Scituate Light is accessible by land and actually has a small public beach next to it, the town’s other lighthouse, Minot Ledge Light, is located about a mile offshore in the Atlantic Ocean and close to the town’s border with Cohasset. This lighthouse was built in 1850 but was tragically destroyed in 1851, only to be rebuilt stronger in 1860. The area where the Minot Ledge Light stands is a spot ominous to sailors. This location had seen over forty shipwrecks between 1832 and 1841 alone, and it led to the demise of many more sailors and boats prior to that. Unlike the Old Scituate Light which has an attached house, the Minot Ledge Light keeper’s house was onshore in Cohasset.
An unbelievable storm destroyed the ill-constructed original light in 1851. Although the keeper was ashore at the time, his two assistants, Joe Wilson and Joseph Antoine, were onsite. The gale decimated the lighthouse, with hardly a remnant of the building left, and took the lives of the two men. Although a new granite light was constructed in 1860 and has proudly graced the waters since then, the screams, cries, and moans of the ill-fated lighthouse assistants have been heard reverberating from Minot Light.
After the tragedy, lighthouse keepers tended not to hold their position for long. Bizarre events occurred, including the lens being inexplicably clean when the keeper checked it after a day of hard use. Another man woke to a whisper in his ear and saw a ghostly figure. One fisherman sailing by was attracted to the light by a howling man who started screaming in a nonsensical language at him when the fisherman got closer.
An Ironic Connection
In contrast to the foreboding stories of the light, its nickname is the “I love you light” given the 1-4-3 pattern of its flashing tower. (The numbers relate to the letters in each word.) A replica of the top of Minot Light is located outside the Cohasset Sailing Club off Border Road. The light was even used as target practice as it was bombarded by airplanes unloading bags of flour instead of bombs.
Beaches
Given its coastal location, Scituate has a number of worthwhile beaches. They include Minot Beach, Egypt Beach, Humarock Beach, Bassing Beach, Museum Beach, and Sand Hills. Also, next to the Old Scituate Light there is a rocky shoreline that attracts waders and sunbathers. Unfortunately for non-Scituate residents, the beaches in town are for sticker holders. Non-residents can purchase a beach sticker at the town hall though. Peggotty Beach is the one exception, where day passes are available. This beach is also free to the public after six and allows dogs after hours. Many of the Scituate beaches are rocky and others nearly disappear during high tide, whereas Peggotty retains its sandy persona regardless of the time of day, with minimal rocky intrusion. It is located off Peggotty Beach Road.
Scituate Harbor
The seaside village includes the Front Street Bookstore, gift boutiques like Joye and Native, and a number of restaurants, including the Mill Wharf Restaurant, Salt Society, and Galley Kitchen. Fantastic homemade ice cream is at Nona’s. The shops and restaurants line Front Street which extends roughly from the Inn at Scituate Harbor on the north to the intersection with First Parish Road to the south. Free public parking is available on the ocean side of the village. Every first Friday the shops are open late, and many of the stores play host to musicians and provide tasty bites and libations for the visitor.
Chief Justice Cushing Memorial State Park
This is one of the smallest state parks in Massachusetts, housing a memorial dedicated to Chief Justice Cushing. Cushing was a Scituate resident, born in 1732, and was appointed to the Supreme Court by none other than George Washington. Cushing’s known for his stance against slavery. The small burial ground, accented by the relatively short Cushing obelisk, is a lesser-known attraction in town. The seven-acre park is located on Cushing Park Road, which itself is a side road off of Neal Gate Road, which connects Route 3A and Route 123.
Untold Brewing
For a tasty beer in Scituate, check out Untold Brewing. Untold makes truly excellent beer. On my latest visit, I chose a coffee stout and a black IPA, both of which were delish. With the kids in tow, there is plenty of room to spread out at the communal tables of the converted circa 1852 schoolhouse. The taproom has limited seating as well.
This afternoon in Scituate is full of adventure from lighthouses to beaches, shopping to beer. There’s so much more to explore in Scituate as well so this is just a taste to whet your appetite. For more afternoon delights in Massachusetts check out: An Afternoon in: Hanover, Boston, or Newton.
This is a terrific read and as accurate a summary as can be. Thanks Zach.
Thanks Bob!