Twenty feet tall a beacon stands defiant against the relentless waves. This is Nix’s Mate Daybeacon a silent sentinel in Boston Harbor. Its black and white stripes a stark contrast to the grey granite base.
Nix’s Mate Daybeacon more than just a navigational aid. It’s a weathered testament to maritime history. Built in 1805 by the Boston Marine Society it warned ships of treacherous shoals. The original structure was wood a pyramid perched atop granite. It burned down in 1841 then was rebuilt. Today’s beacon retains that pyramidal shape but sports a concrete coating added sometime between the World Wars.
The island itself Nixes Mate a name shrouded in mystery. Some say it’s named after a pirate Captain Nix. Others speak of a betrayed mate cursed to disappear beneath the waves. The truth is more mundane. Colonists quarried rock and slate reducing the island’s size. Erosion from the powerful currents has done the rest. Yet even before the shrinking land pirates left their mark. In 1726 the body of the executed pirate Captain William Fly was gibbeted here a grim warning to others. His remains along with two others lie buried on this tiny isle.
The beacon’s hollow interior is a marvel of mortise-and-tenon woodwork. Cross-members radiate from a central column. A granite stairway leads to the top providing a view of the surrounding waters. This view reveals the convergence of three major channels Nantucket Roads President’s Roads and The Narrows a confluence of currents known for its hazards.
In 2001 Nix’s Mate Daybeacon was dilapidated. The Coast Guard planned to replace it. Public outcry changed that. They rebuilt it preserving a piece of Boston’s maritime past. Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2004 its significance is cemented.
Even a grounding incident in 2012 involving the Provincetown III ferry didn’t diminish its role. Nix’s Mate Daybeacon continues its vigilant watch a steadfast guardian of Boston Harbor. Its simple yet powerful presence speaks volumes. A silent story of pirates legends and the enduring human relationship with the sea.