Cape Ann Museum

The Cape Ann Museum is a very polished museum located in Gloucester, MA. The museum houses the largest collection of work by native son and renowned marine artist, Fitz Henry Lane, as well as work by other prominent painters and sculptors who lived on, visited or were inspired by Cape Ann.

The museum has seven main galleries and five ancillary ones, each exploring an aspect of the region's history and culture through exhibitions including a first order Fresnel lens from Thachers Island.

From the museum website: "It was built in Paris, France, in 1860, installed on Thacher Island the following year and served as a beacon for mariners for over 120 years. It was originally lit by whale oil, then by lard oil and eventually by kerosene (mineral oil). It was electrified in 1932 and ultimately removed by the Coast Guard in 1980. The shining lens stands 10 feet tall and 6 feet in diameter and is comprised of 290 glass prisms set in a bronze frame. It weighs just over a ton.

First order Fresnel lenses are extremely rare. There are only 39 in the country, three of which are in New England. The only other one in Massachusetts is at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum in Edgartown."

An exceptional North Shore institution, definitely worth a visit, even better when followed by a glass of wine at the Beauport Hotel.