Graves Light, a 113-foot lighthouse located at the mouth of Boston Harbor, is the center of a tax battle between the current keepers, and the town of Hull.
WATD’s Lenny Rowe joined keeper Dave Waller for a tour of the station, and files this report.
The granite lighthouse was built in 1905, and was automated in 1976. Current keeper Dave Waller bought it at auction for just under $1 million in 2013.
The rear side of Graves Ledge. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
“It’s a super-fun place to wake up in, because it’s so quiet in the morning, with fishing boats outside,” said Waller. “It’s kind of idyllic because there’s a lot of baby seals that play in the cove, you can watch them. A lot of birds come through. It’s kind of an ever-changing landscape and a little piece of heaven.”
There are numerous trinkets throughout the property, it’s a fascinating perspective of history. A lot of the materials were recycled from ships, and even other lighthouses.
Family members have rallied behind the project, with custom, curved woodwork, glass from a Fresnel lens in the bathroom, and throw pillows made from old Navy signal flags.
Graves Ledge, named after English Rear Admiral Thomas Graves, is quite the boat ride out, with Waller helping reporters onto a row-boat to access the station.
Dave Waller rows a dingy from a mooring. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
“As far as the historical things, we’re still learning all kinds of great stuff about it. My mom went to Washington, D.C. and got all the logs from the keepers, going all the way back to the beginning,” said Waller. “We learned about German spies that were rowing around in a fog, that the lighthouse keepers caught and captured. There’s people that have been overturned in canoes and little boats, so the keepers went out and saved them. There have been a lot of shipwrecks. There’s a lot of history and folklore that we’re discovering. Then you realize it’s not so much about the lighthouse, it’s about the people.”
He and his wife Lynn renovated the station, adding a bedroom, bathroom, and kitchen. Much of the supplies had to be hoisted up 40 feet to the light.
“It didn’t need anything heavily structural on the tower itself because it was made of granite – it was really well-built. Inside, it was all rusty, water had gotten in,” said Waller. “It had been neglected for about 40 years, it hadn’t been manned since the 70’s. We cleaned the inside out, took out all the garbage that was all over the rocks and everything. Then we cleaned the exterior and water-proofed it.”
After about six years of restoration, Waller says they got a tax bill from the town of Hull.
“When we bought the place, we asked all the towns around if we were in their town,” said Waller. “The town of Hull, including all the other towns, they all said we weren’t in their towns, and we weren’t on their town maps, because we checked the town maps as well.”
He said they wanted to talk to the town about the issue, but their attempts were stonewalled, so they took the issue to land court.
The deed stated the longitude and latitude of the site, and they checked in with the Army Corps of Engineers, and the Coast Guard. Waller says the property is an unincorporated part of Suffolk County, not Plymouth County.
“We had maintained ever since we bought it that we were not part of the town of Hull. It says so on our deed, it just says that we are not part of this town. For them to just sort of come and take it because – I just don’t understand why they wanted to do that,” said Waller. “We’re proving it in court, we have a lot of great documents and maps that show that it is not a part of the town of Hull. I think it’ll be pretty obvious when things are done.”
Attempts to reach Town Counsel Jim Lampke and Hull Town Manager Phil Lemnios for comment were not successful.
The case is currently pending in Land Court in Boston, and was recessed until July 25.
Graves Light. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
The Wallers constructed a new landing, the lower part is under water during high tide. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Llewellyn Rogers, one of the last keepers of the light, made a game board out tiling from the original floor. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Dave Waller from the kitchen area, looking out at Boston Harbor. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Dave Waller said to never waste a trip to the station. Here, he brought firewood. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Lynn Waller called Dave “Martha Stewart,” for his direction in the renovation. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Dave Waller has encouraging words for reporters before they climb a 40-foot ladder to the lighthouse. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
An old map of Massachusetts and Boston Harbor lines a curved murphy bed in the master bedroom. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Supply chain issues delayed the delivery of the American Flag, but Dave Waller hoisted it on June 23, 2022. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Dave and Lynn Waller hoist colors for the station. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Dave Waller scaling the ladder to the lighthouse. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Graves Light. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
Dave Waller poses for photos at Graves Light. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
The rear side of Graves Ledge. Photo credit: Lenny Rowe.
