One of the busiest shipping areas in the 1700's was the passage
between Nantucket and the mainland. The route between Great
Point (or Sandy Point, as it was known) was one of the most
hazardous. In 1770, residents of Nantucket formed a committee to
persuade the General Court of Massachusetts to build a
lighthouse at Great Point. They later sent a local
representative to "use his influence" to gain support for the
lighthouse. In 1784, a total of 1389 pounds was allocated for
construction of the lighthouse. The first Great Point Light
(also known as Nantucket Light) was built in 1785. The original
wooden tower initially had no keeper's house at the site - the
keeper had to travel seven miles across the barrier beach to and
from the The first keeper was Captain Paul Pinkham. Pinkham was
initially paid $166.66 a year - a figure later increased due to
the hardships of maintaining the station. Eventually a residence
was built near the station. Keeper Pinkham resupplied the
station by driving a horse and cart to Coa