Gay head cliffs

I am allowed a boat. I have carted almost the whole of the water used in my family during the last Summer and until this Month commenced, from nearly one mile distant. It has been said that fossil bones of whales, camels and wild horses have been found in the cliff layers.

The first European to name this natural feature was explorer Bartholomew Gosnold, who, when he sailed past incalled them Dover Cliffs after the famous chalky landmark along the English Channel. Woodcut depicting original Gay Head Lighthouse Photograph courtesy William Waterway The area around Gay Head has been home to Wampanoag Indians for thousands of years, and to this day many local residents are members of the tribe.

At the U.S. census, the population was [2] Aquinnah is known for its beautiful clay cliffs and natural serenity, as well as its historical importance to the native Wampanoag people. The distance from the house to the tower is sixty-four feet.

The cliffs exhibit vivid hues of green, yellow, black, brown, red, and white and attract visitors from all over the world. That said, there’s the Aquinnah Cliffs on Martha’s Vineyard, which deliver breathtaking vistas reminiscent of the West Coast’s most captivating beaches, making them a must-see in the East.

The Gay Head Cliffs are a national landmark. The Spring of water in the edge of the Clift is not sufficient. The barn has become so rotten in the framing, that I hardly think it can stand through another winter. Gay Head, MA.

Photo Gallery.

Gay Head Lighthouse Lighthouse : Unveil the secrets of this natural wonder on Martha's Vineyard

During the heavy northwest snow storms that are common here in winter, it is difficult for me to get from one building to the other. Gay Head Lighthouse. InGay Head Cliffs were. To be distinguishable from fixed lights in the area, the lighting apparatus at Gay Head was a revolving system of ten oil lamps each set in a fourteen-inch reflector.

To supplement his income, Skiff farmed and taught school for the native Indians. It is the only working lighthouse on Martha’s Vineyard. The beautiful, colorful layers of clay make up the cliffs. The Gay Head Lighthouse is perched atop the cliffs.

Keeper Ellis Skiff made the following statement as part of a report Lewis submitted to authorities: The chambers of my house are not lathed, plastered, or ceiled; and the house is not only cold and uncomfortable, but, from its elevated situation, likely to be blown down, as it shakes fearfully with every gale of wind.

Resources Calendar About. From tothe town was incorporated as Gay Head. The Aquinnah Cliffs (formerly Gay Head) are stunning foot clay cliffs found on the western end of Martha’s Vineyard.

gay head cliffs

Early in the nineteenth century, the tower at Gay Head was lowered fourteen feet to reduce the probability of its light being obscured in fog. My oil has been good. After a few years at Gay Head, Keeper Skiff felt he merited a pay increase and penned the following letter to Albert Gallatin, Secretary of the Treasury.

What are the Aquinnah Cliffs? I humbly pray you to think of me, and if it shall be consistent with your wisdom increase my Salary. Aquinnah (/ əˈkwɪnə / uh-KWIN-uh; Wampanoag: Âhqunah[1]) is a town on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. These impediments were neither known nor under Consideration at the time of fixing my Salary.

In winter, I am often obliged to cut the oil out of the butts solid, bring it to the house, and warm it, before it can be used in the lamps. There is no white population within four miles of this point, the neighbors being all colored or Indians, descendants of the Gay Head tribe.

There is no well of water on the premises. There are no shutters to the windows, and the sand blows in at all the crevices. There is not cellar to my house, and the oil is therefore kept in the wooden tower. Visitor Info.