You’ll see… Baker’s Island!

Baker’s Island is home to over 50 summer cottages as well as the Baker’s Island Light, which was built in 1821.  There used to be two lighthouses, side by side, “Ma” and “Pa”. Once Salem was no longer a major port, it was decided one light was enough, and “Ma” was bulldozed into the sea.

The two red-roofed cottages next to the lighthouse are part of the 10-acre lighthouse property, and were once occupied by the lighthouse keepers. They can be rented for the weekend from Essex Heritage, which maintains the lighthouse property, for $950 for up to 6 people for two nights (Fri & Sat).

The rest of the cottages, occupying the other 55 acres of the island, are privately owned. They were mostly built in the late 1800s, when there was also a hotel on the island, but the hotel burned down in 1906. There is no public access to this part of the island. The cottage owners even denied use of their common pier to Essex Heritage, which was forced to buy a small landing craftto take people out to the lighthouse property on the weekends.

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