Coast Guard giving away Mass. lighthouse

SCITUATE, Mass.—The Coast Guard is giving away a lighthouse off the coast of Massachusetts for nothing, but there is a catch.

Whoever agrees to take the 114-foot tall Minot Ledge Light about a mile off Cohasset and Scituate must pay for upkeep and maintenance as laid out in the “Historic Lighthouse Preservation Handbook.“

The Patriot Ledger of Quincy reports that the Coast Guard has determined the lighthouse is an “excess” asset, and is offering it under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.

Other lighthouses given away under the program have gone to nonprofits, educators, community groups and municipalities.

The lighthouse has guided ships around a treacherous ledge since 1860. The original structure collapsed during a storm in 1851, taking the lives of two keepers.