On September 14, 1716, Boston Harbor sat dark. But a lightkeeper was busy. He stood at the top of a nearby stone tower. His name was George Worthylake. Mr. Worthylake lighted smoky tallow candles one by one. A great light began to shine into the black bay. Mr. Worthylake had made Boston Light come to life for the first time. Now it has been shining for 300 years. That’s a reason to celebrate!

This year, Bostonians will gather to say “happy birthday” to their lighthouse. On September 14, they will light it. As they do, they will remember what Mr. Worthylake did so long ago. People will come to hear speeches about the lighthouse’s history. They will meet Sally Snowman, the woman who keeps the lighthouse today. Coast Guard Lieutenant Karen Love Kutkiewicz is helping plan the celebrations. She says, “Not many things are 300 years old in this country. This is America’s lighthouse.” She is right. Boston Light is the oldest lighthouse in North America!

The old lighthouse still works. It keeps sailors safe. Before the light stood in Boston, sailors could not always see the shore. The wind and waves drove them onto the rocks. Instead of happy homecomings, they had nasty shipwrecks. But then the light began to shine. Sailors knew they had a safe place to dock in Boston. Now ships use GPS trackers. But lighthouses are still a helpful guide.

About 3,500 visitors climb up into the lighthouse every year. Of course, they don’t see quite the same sights George Worthylake saw in 1716. They also don’t smell the same smells, since people stopped using stinky tallow candles long ago. Now the station uses an electric light. The light has as much power as 1,800,000 candles. Imagine how long it would take Mr. Worthylake to light all those!