Our Mission

Project Gurnet & Bug Lights was formed in 1983 and our mission is the restoration, preservation, and maintenance of both The Plymouth Light Station and Duxbury Pier Light. We are a non-profit organization that encourages public awareness and support of these unique historic monuments to our nautical past.

Project Bug Light was formed in response to the Coast Guard’s plan to replace Bug Light with a light atop a fiberglass pole in 1983. For over 30 years a salty band of volunteers has preserved first Bug Light, and later Gurnet Light, Fort Andrew and the Keeper’s Cottage, under licenses from the U.S. Coast Guard. Now known as Project Gurnet and Bug Lights, Inc. (PG&BL), our group has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to preserve these landmarks.

Committee members have volunteered thousands of hours maintaining the lighthouses. We are responsible for the upkeep of the structures themselves and the surrounding property while the Coast Guard continues to maintain the actual aids to navigation (the lanterns, foghorns, and solar panels).

PG&BL’s Noteworthy Accomplishments

• “SAVED” Bug Light in 1983!
• Repaired and painted Bug Light four times in the past 30 years
• Assumed responsibility for Gurnet Light in 1999
• Painted Gurnet Light in 2002, 2011 and 2018
• Maintained Fort Andrew’s earthen berm
• Conducted tours of Gurnet Light and Fort Andrew for over 500 people each year.
• Renovated the Keeper’s Cottage in 2006
• Re-shingled Gurnet Light in 2007
• Expended over 10,000 volunteer hours maintaining Bug Light and more recently Plymouth Light Station (Gurnet Light, Fort Andrew and the Keeper’s Cottage)
• Restored Gurnet Light Lantern Room in 2013
• Repaired or replaced all station perimeter fencing in 2018
• Completed acquisition of Duxbury Pier Light (Bug Light) from the Coast Guard and the U.S. General Services Administration in 2018

Our Challenges for the Future

• Continue our commitment to ongoing restoration, preservation and
  maintenance
• Establish an endowment to achieve long-term financial stability
• Acquire eventual ownership of Plymouth Light Station
• Design and construct a revetment/seawall to control the rapid erosion of Fort Andrew
• Increase recognition of the military history of Fort Andrew