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The Martha's Vineyard Museum
 Rick
Harrington speaks of the Memorial as a pilgrimage. A pilgrimage
to a beacon of light, a place of safety and healing. Where the
beacon from the lighthouse guides us away from danger and brings
us safely home. By placing stones carved with the names of children
who have died, in the foundation of the lighthouse, it is the
power of their lives and the joy they brought their families that
becomes the beacon, and its light reaches out forever.
I see it also as a community, these stones, each child a member.
Collectively, they form a place that is physical and palpable,
where it is safe to put one's grief. Where it is okay to have
those feelings, to grieve the loss of won't be and smile and remember
what was. The pain, sadness and loss of having a child die never
leaves a parent, but to have that safety net, that beacon of light
holding you, must be a good thing.
The architect, Geoffrey White, envisioned the Memorial
in the context of eternity and used the movements and rhythm of
the waves upon the beach as a theme in the design.
The Edgartown lighthouse sits on an octagonal base
that rises about three feet above a larger base, which, in turn,
stands a couple of feet above the sand. It is this larger, 40'
x 56' area that will hold the cobblestones of the Memorial.
The drawing below illustrates this. The Architectural
Info & Drawings page shows larger versions of this and
several other details of the plan.
 The
lighthouse sits at the edge of the water.The rows of cobblestones
are arranged in a pattern that echoes the waves washing onto the
beach. These waves are dissected by granite spokes, flowing out
from the octagonal lighthouse base, reflective of the beacon on
top. They culminate at the border's edge and are marked by compass
points.
The granite block foundation was deteriorating and was repaired.
The surface was partially excavated to create an appropriate and
level substrate for the 3,500 granite cobblestones that make up
the Memorial.
The border and the spokes are made of 4' x 2' polished granite
slabs with 2' square pieces at the corners. They are set into
a leveled mortar base and the joints are grouted. You can see
this process in the May construction photos on the Construction
& Photos pages.
Each wave is composed of six rows of 7" x 10" cobblestones.
These granite blocks have a mildly uneven surface. When the names
are carved, they appear to undulate slightly and the texture is
reminiscent of flowing water. The names are filled in with a dark
gray color, to ensure their readability.
Waves are followed by three rows of 4" x 4'" granite
stones. This distinguishes one wave from the next, creating the
impression of one wave following another. This effect is illustrated
in the June construction photographs.
The foundation steps were repaired and made level. New stairs
that access the top of the lighthouse base from two sides were
built, replacing the former front access stair. A lovely railing
was added.
The concrete octagon the lighthouse sits on had eroded in places
and was repaired as needed. This base is about three feet tall.
The sides are painted black and the top is its natural beige color,
similar to the sand surrounding the Memorial. The cast iron lighthouse
is white and was painted some years back by the Coast Guard.
A plaque has been attached to the base at the rear of the lighthouse,
facing the water, commemorating the creation of the Memorial and
the effort involved. On it are two lines from Tomas Napoleon's
poem,
"A Remembrance of an Unforgotten Vineyard Summer".
The poem was written when Ricky Harrington died
and read at his funeral.
to read the complete poem, click
here
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