Salem's Bakers Island Fresnel Lens Returns Home 100 Years After Installation

SALEM, MA — Community members, volunteers and invited guests gathered at Bakers Island Light Station to mark the return of the station's historic 4th order Fresnel lens and its new public display.

The June 26 ceremony came exactly 100 years after the lens was first installed at Bakers Island in 1926.

Manufactured by Chance Brothers & Co. of England in 1903, the lens guided mariners through Salem Sound for decades before it was removed in 1972 after automation. It then spent more than 50 years on public display at the Maine Lighthouse Museum in Rockland, Maine, before returning to Salem this spring.

The lens is now on permanent public display in the Assistant Keeper's House at Bakers Island Light Station.

Guests arrived by landing craft for remarks, a ribbon-cutting and an Essex Heritage reception on Friday.

Speakers included Rear Admiral Michael Platt, commander of the U.S. Coast Guard Northeast District, Annie Harris, CEO of Essex Heritage, Salem City Council President Alice Merkl, Salem Ward 1 Councilor Erin Turowski, and retired Rear Admiral Dan May, USCG, who Essex Heritage said helped coordinate the lens’s loan and return.

"The Coast Guard is honored to celebrate the homecoming of the Bakers Island Lighthouse Fresnel lens," said Rear Admiral Michael Platt, Commander, U.S. Coast Guard Northeast District. "This historic milestone would not have been possible without the relentless dedication of Essex Heritage and our community partners, who share our deep commitment to safeguarding New England’s rich maritime legacy."

"It is very exciting to have the lens return on the 100th anniversary of its original installation. A lot of people made this happen, including the USCG, our volunteers, and the wider island community," said Annie Harris, CEO of Essex Heritage. "The lens is an historic artifact and a fascinating piece of technology. We have installed it in our small island museum so the public can see it up close and learn how the inventor Augustin-Jean Fresnel revolutionized lighthouses across the world."

Essex Heritage said bringing the lens back required disassembly, transport and reassembly. Lampist Kurt Fosburg of Superior Lighthouse Restoration prepared the glass prisms for transport and reassembled the lens after it arrived.

Volunteers helped move individual panels, load them onto the Naumkeag for the final trip across Salem Sound, and unload and transport the lens on the island.

The display also includes a custom protective barrier built by John Pydynkowski and installed by volunteer lighthouse keepers Pam and Douglas Smith. An interpretive panel was designed by Good Brand Partners and fabricated by Creative Ink.

The lens remains the property of the U.S. Coast Guard under a long-term loan agreement with Essex Heritage, which has managed Bakers Island Light Station since 2014.

Visitors can now see the lens during Essex Heritage public boat tours, overnight stays in the Keeper's House and scheduled volunteer workdays during the 2026 season and beyond.