|Baker's Island, MA| Description: For some lighthouses scant
information remains, even in the records of the Lighthouse
Board, however, for Baker’s Island Lighthouse, situated on the
northern side of Baker’s Island along the approach to Salem
Harbor, there is a wealth of material. One rich source is the
diary of Reverend Dr. William Bentley, who could easily read
over twenty languages. As Bentley (1757-1819) was a maritime
expert, his interest in the Baker’s Island Light is
unsurprising. In the late 1780s, Salem was a bustling
international port with as many as ten ships docking each week
from such exotic ports as China, India, Japan, and Australia,
yet it lacked lighthouses and other navigational aids. Thus, on
May 25, 1791, the Salem Mariners Society voted that a three-man
committee should “Aract a Backon [sic] on Bakers Island.” A few
weeks later, ₤20 was set aside by the society for an unlit
navigational aid. It soon became apparent that those funds were
insufficient, and a public subscription was circula