Black Rock Beacon or colloquial #BenButlersToothpick a navigational marker at the mouth of the Merrimack River at Salisbury Beach State Park. #BenButler, a Civil War General and one time Massachusetts Governor, is said to have overseen the construction of the beacon in 1873. . . Also known as simply “The Toothpick” one story says it became Ben Butler’s Toothpick to match the boisterous gentleman’s big mouth a criticism Butler acknowledged. Refusing water after an especially long speech he declared “Windmills do not run on water” . . Butler had made his fortune further up the Merrimack in the mills of Lowell, and is also noted in history for making US flags from US made cloth instead of cloth imported from the British. #igersmass #igersnewengland #talesofnewengland (at Salisbury Beach State Park) https://www.instagram.com/p/BrLMGuRAfD4/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=ta9td254uq11