[Congressional Record Volume 162, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 20, 2016)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1315-E1316]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




         IN HONOR OF THE BOSTON LIGHT ON ITS 300TH ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. STEPHEN F. LYNCH

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                      Tuesday, September 20, 2016

  Mr. LYNCH. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in honor of the Boston Light, 
the first American Aid to Navigation, on its 300th anniversary.
  As was originally proclaimed even before our nation's birth:
  ``Whereas the want of a Lighthouse at the entrance of the harbor of 
Boston, hath been a great discouragement to Navigation, by the loss of 
the lives and estates of several of His Majesties subjects,'' an Act 
for building and maintaining a lighthouse at the entrance of the harbor 
of Boston was passed by the Great and General Court or Assembly of His 
Majesties Province of Massachusetts Bay in New England in 1715 for 
prevention whereof.
  The Boston Light was first lit on September 14, 1716, almost 60 years 
before the Declaration of Independence was signed.

[[Page E1316]]

  Since then, the lighthouse has stood a faithful watch over Boston 
Harbor, helping the City of Boston to become a thriving international 
port and laying the foundation for the U.S. Coast Guard's Aids to 
Navigation mission.
  Among its many missions as the maritime service responsible for the 
safety, security, and stewardship of American waterways, Aids to 
Navigation is the Coast Guard's oldest mission, and that mission 
started with the Boston Light.
  That lone lighthouse on Little Brewster Island gave rise to the 
world-class system of U.S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation that includes 
more than 48,000 buoys, beacons, ranges, sound signals, and electronic 
aids that safely guide thousands of vessels a day sailing on our 
nation's 25,000 miles of waterways.
  Around the nation, the Coast Guard's system of Aids to Navigation 
keeps the American economy on course by enabling marine cargo 
transportation that generated $4.6 trillion of economic activity and 
accounted for more than a quarter of the U.S. Gross Domestic Product in 
2015.
  The Boston Light is also the Coast Guard's only lighthouse that still 
has a Keeper assigned. For the last 13 years, that has been Sally 
Snowman, the 70th Boston Light Keeper and the first woman to hold the 
position in three centuries. This Weymouth, Massachusetts native 
proudly keeps the light shining today.
  Sally is among the more than 2,500 Aids to Navigation Professionals, 
made up of Active Duty Coast Guardsmen and Coast Guard civilians 
serving at the U.S. Coast Guard Headquarters, Area, District, and 
Sector Waterways Management Offices. In addition, Aids to Navigation 
professionals are aboard 75 cutters, and at 64 Aids to Navigation Teams 
across the nation who maintain the Aids to Navigation that save lives, 
protect property, and enable commerce by ensuring safe, secure, and 
resilient waterways.
  Mr. Speaker, the Boston Light has served our nation well for 300 
years and the men and women of the Coast Guard proudly uphold its 
legacy of light today.
  It is my distinct honor to take the floor of the House today to honor 
the Boston Light on its tri-centennial anniversary and to honor the 
U.S. Coast Guard personnel who continue to guide our mariners through 
our vital waterways.

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