2. Lighthouses

Cape Cod Lighthouses

Lighthouses of the Cape Cod coast.
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Wood End Lighthouse. Entrance to Provincetown Harbor, Provincetown, MA. A 38-foot brick tower -- originally painted brown -- was erected, and the light went into service on November 20, 1872. A fifth-order Fresnel lens exhibited a red flash every 15 seconds, 45 feet above the sea. A keeper's dwelling was built about 50 feet northeast of the lighthouse. The lighthouse, still an active aid to navigation, is also viewable from some of the excursion boats out of Provincetown.
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Wood End Lighthouse. Entrance to Provincetown Harbor, Provincetown, MA. A 38-foot brick tower -- originally painted brown -- was erected, and the light went into service on November 20, 1872. A fifth-order Fresnel lens exhibited a red flash every 15 seconds, 45 feet above the sea. A keeper's dwelling was built about 50 feet northeast of the lighthouse. The lighthouse, still an active aid to navigation, is also viewable from some of the excursion boats out of Provincetown.

  • Nauset Light, officially Nauset Beach Light, is a lighthouse in Eastham, Massachusetts. It is a cast iron plate shell lined with brick and stands 48 feet high. The light was automated and the keeper's house was sold in 1955. Due to coastal erosion, by the early 1990s Nauset Light was less than 50 feet from the edge of the 70-foot cliff on which it stood. In 1993, the Coast Guard proposed decommissioning the light. There was a great public outcry. The non-profit Nauset Light Preservation Society was formed and funded and, in 1995, leased the lighthouse from the Coast Guard. It arranged the light's relocation in November 1996 to a location 336 feet west of the original one. The move was accomplished successfully by International Chimney Corporation.<br /> <br /> In 1998, Mary Daubenspeck, who had owned the keeper's house since 1955, agreed to donate it to the National Park Service with the right to live in it for 25 years. It was agreed that the house would be moved from its original location, then only 23 feet from the edge of the cliff, to a new location near the relocated tower. This was accomplished in October, 1998. At about the same time, the Coast Guard gave the tower to the National Park Service and the Nauset Light Preservation Society agreed to maintain it as a private aid to navigation.<br /> <br /> The lighthouse is the logo for Cape Cod Potato Chips.
  • Nauset Light, officially Nauset Beach Light, is a lighthouse in Eastham, Massachusetts. It is a cast iron plate shell lined with brick and stands 48 feet high. The light was automated and the keeper's house was sold in 1955. Due to coastal erosion, by the early 1990s Nauset Light was less than 50 feet from the edge of the 70-foot cliff on which it stood. In 1993, the Coast Guard proposed decommissioning the light. There was a great public outcry. The non-profit Nauset Light Preservation Society was formed and funded and, in 1995, leased the lighthouse from the Coast Guard. It arranged the light's relocation in November 1996 to a location 336 feet west of the original one. The move was accomplished successfully by International Chimney Corporation.<br /> <br /> In 1998, Mary Daubenspeck, who had owned the keeper's house since 1955, agreed to donate it to the National Park Service with the right to live in it for 25 years. It was agreed that the house would be moved from its original location, then only 23 feet from the edge of the cliff, to a new location near the relocated tower. This was accomplished in October, 1998. At about the same time, the Coast Guard gave the tower to the National Park Service and the Nauset Light Preservation Society agreed to maintain it as a private aid to navigation.<br /> <br /> The lighthouse is the logo for Cape Cod Potato Chips
  • Nauset Light, officially Nauset Beach Light, is a lighthouse in Eastham, Massachusetts. It is a cast iron plate shell lined with brick and stands 48 feet high. The light was automated and the keeper's house was sold in 1955. Due to coastal erosion, by the early 1990s Nauset Light was less than 50 feet from the edge of the 70-foot cliff on which it stood. In 1993, the Coast Guard proposed decommissioning the light. There was a great public outcry. The non-profit Nauset Light Preservation Society was formed and funded and, in 1995, leased the lighthouse from the Coast Guard. It arranged the light's relocation in November 1996 to a location 336 feet west of the original one. The move was accomplished successfully by International Chimney Corporation.<br /> <br /> In 1998, Mary Daubenspeck, who had owned the keeper's house since 1955, agreed to donate it to the National Park Service with the right to live in it for 25 years. It was agreed that the house would be moved from its original location, then only 23 feet from the edge of the cliff, to a new location near the relocated tower. This was accomplished in October, 1998. At about the same time, the Coast Guard gave the tower to the National Park Service and the Nauset Light Preservation Society agreed to maintain it as a private aid to navigation.<br /> <br /> The lighthouse is the logo for Cape Cod Potato Chips
  • Nauset Light, officially Nauset Beach Light, is a lighthouse in Eastham, Massachusetts. It is a cast iron plate shell lined with brick and stands 48 feet high. The light was automated and the keeper's house was sold in 1955. Due to coastal erosion, by the early 1990s Nauset Light was less than 50 feet from the edge of the 70-foot cliff on which it stood. In 1993, the Coast Guard proposed decommissioning the light. There was a great public outcry. The non-profit Nauset Light Preservation Society was formed and funded and, in 1995, leased the lighthouse from the Coast Guard. It arranged the light's relocation in November 1996 to a location 336 feet west of the original one. The move was accomplished successfully by International Chimney Corporation.<br /> <br /> In 1998, Mary Daubenspeck, who had owned the keeper's house since 1955, agreed to donate it to the National Park Service with the right to live in it for 25 years. It was agreed that the house would be moved from its original location, then only 23 feet from the edge of the cliff, to a new location near the relocated tower. This was accomplished in October, 1998. At about the same time, the Coast Guard gave the tower to the National Park Service and the Nauset Light Preservation Society agreed to maintain it as a private aid to navigation.<br /> <br /> The lighthouse is the logo for Cape Cod Potato Chips
  • Nauset Light, officially Nauset Beach Light, is a lighthouse in Eastham, Massachusetts. It is a cast iron plate shell lined with brick and stands 48 feet high. The light was automated and the keeper's house was sold in 1955. Due to coastal erosion, by the early 1990s Nauset Light was less than 50 feet from the edge of the 70-foot cliff on which it stood. In 1993, the Coast Guard proposed decommissioning the light. There was a great public outcry. The non-profit Nauset Light Preservation Society was formed and funded and, in 1995, leased the lighthouse from the Coast Guard. It arranged the light's relocation in November 1996 to a location 336 feet west of the original one. The move was accomplished successfully by International Chimney Corporation.<br /> <br /> In 1998, Mary Daubenspeck, who had owned the keeper's house since 1955, agreed to donate it to the National Park Service with the right to live in it for 25 years. It was agreed that the house would be moved from its original location, then only 23 feet from the edge of the cliff, to a new location near the relocated tower. This was accomplished in October, 1998. At about the same time, the Coast Guard gave the tower to the National Park Service and the Nauset Light Preservation Society agreed to maintain it as a private aid to navigation.<br /> <br /> The lighthouse is the logo for Cape Cod Potato Chips
  • Nauset Light, officially Nauset Beach Light, is a lighthouse in Eastham, Massachusetts. It is a cast iron plate shell lined with brick and stands 48 feet high. The light was automated and the keeper's house was sold in 1955. Due to coastal erosion, by the early 1990s Nauset Light was less than 50 feet from the edge of the 70-foot cliff on which it stood. In 1993, the Coast Guard proposed decommissioning the light. There was a great public outcry. The non-profit Nauset Light Preservation Society was formed and funded and, in 1995, leased the lighthouse from the Coast Guard. It arranged the light's relocation in November 1996 to a location 336 feet west of the original one. The move was accomplished successfully by International Chimney Corporation.<br /> <br /> In 1998, Mary Daubenspeck, who had owned the keeper's house since 1955, agreed to donate it to the National Park Service with the right to live in it for 25 years. It was agreed that the house would be moved from its original location, then only 23 feet from the edge of the cliff, to a new location near the relocated tower. This was accomplished in October, 1998. At about the same time, the Coast Guard gave the tower to the National Park Service and the Nauset Light Preservation Society agreed to maintain it as a private aid to navigation.<br /> <br /> The lighthouse is the logo for Cape Cod Potato Chips
  • Three Sisters Lighthouses. In 1837, a lighthouse station was established at Nauset Beach - halfway between the single light at Highland, and the twins at Chatham. To distinguish the Nauset Station, a keeper's house and three small towers of brick were constructed 150 feet apart. This site marked the only station in the U.S. designated by three towers.<br /> <br /> In 1911, due to the encroaching sea, the central tower was moved back near the keeper's house. The north and south towers were discontinued, due to maintenance costs and the questionable need for three lights instead of a single light with a unique flashing signature. These two towers were sold in 1918 The towers were removed and became part of a summer cottage in 1920. The central tower served until 1923 (three flashes every ten seconds) when the north tower at Chatham was moved to Eastham. The fourth-order lens was transferred to the new tower. The last sister was sold and made it part of another summer cottage. <br /> <br /> The National Park Service purchased the north and south towers (no lantern rooms) in 1965, and acquired the central tower in 1975. In 1983, the three towers were moved to a site near Nauset Beach about a quarter mile from their original location where they are located today. <br /> <br /> Restoration began in December 1988. According to Jeff Jelniker, NPS project manager during the restoration, the available funding was used to replicate the timber for the tower restoration - there was not enough funding to restore the lantern rooms of the north and south towers. Jelniker recalls that "On several occasions I would hike at lunch in the woods adjacent to the project site and I did come across pieces of the parapet railing of the North or South towers. My guess is that when they were sold the top(s) were just dismantled and discarded in the woods." Work was completed in 1989. The lights were restored in their original configuration - 150 feet apart and approximately 8.5 degrees off north.
  • Three Sisters Lighthouses. In 1837, a lighthouse station was established at Nauset Beach - halfway between the single light at Highland, and the twins at Chatham. To distinguish the Nauset Station, a keeper's house and three small towers of brick were constructed 150 feet apart. This site marked the only station in the U.S. designated by three towers.<br /> <br /> In 1911, due to the encroaching sea, the central tower was moved back near the keeper's house. The north and south towers were discontinued, due to maintenance costs and the questionable need for three lights instead of a single light with a unique flashing signature. These two towers were sold in 1918 The towers were removed and became part of a summer cottage in 1920. The central tower served until 1923 (three flashes every ten seconds) when the north tower at Chatham was moved to Eastham. The fourth-order lens was transferred to the new tower. The last sister was sold and made it part of another summer cottage. <br /> <br /> The National Park Service purchased the north and south towers (no lantern rooms) in 1965, and acquired the central tower in 1975. In 1983, the three towers were moved to a site near Nauset Beach about a quarter mile from their original location where they are located today. <br /> <br /> Restoration began in December 1988. According to Jeff Jelniker, NPS project manager during the restoration, the available funding was used to replicate the timber for the tower restoration - there was not enough funding to restore the lantern rooms of the north and south towers. Jelniker recalls that "On several occasions I would hike at lunch in the woods adjacent to the project site and I did come across pieces of the parapet railing of the North or South towers. My guess is that when they were sold the top(s) were just dismantled and discarded in the woods." Work was completed in 1989. The lights were restored in their original configuration - 150 feet apart and approximately 8.5 degrees off north.
  • Race Point Light is located approximately 2.5 miles from the heart of Provincetown, at the northwestern tip of the Cape. Due to the large number of shipwrecks in the area, Race Point Light was constructed in 1816 - the first of the three lighthouses in Provincetown. In 1957, the Fresnel lens was replaced with a 1000-watt lamp. The larger of the two keeper's houses was torn down in 1960-61. The light was automated in 1978. In 1995, the keeper's house and light were leased to the New England Lighthouse Foundation (now the American Lighthouse Foundation), who completed restoration of the tower and keeper's house in 1997. In 1998, the keeper's residence was opened for overnight stays. In 2006 the whistle house was restored and is to be made available to overnight guests starting in 2007.
  • Race Point Light is located approximately 2.5 miles from the heart of Provincetown, at the northwestern tip of the Cape. Due to the large number of shipwrecks in the area, Race Point Light was constructed in 1816 - the first of the three lighthouses in Provincetown. In 1957, the Fresnel lens was replaced with a 1000-watt lamp. The larger of the two keeper's houses was torn down in 1960-61. The light was automated in 1978. In 1995, the keeper's house and light were leased to the New England Lighthouse Foundation (now the American Lighthouse Foundation), who completed restoration of the tower and keeper's house in 1997. In 1998, the keeper's residence was opened for overnight stays. In 2006 the whistle house was restored and is to be made available to overnight guests starting in 2007.
  • Long Point Lighthouse, Provincetown Harbor, Provincetown, MA. The first lighthouse was completed in 1826. It consisted of a lantern on top of the keeper's house, with a fixed light exhibited 35 feet above mean high water, visible for 13 nautical miles. The first keeper was Charles Derby. For a time beginning in 1830, a school for Long Point children was operated at the lighthouse. Long Point Light was automated in 1952 and the Fresnel lens was replaced by a modern optic. In 1982 solar panels were installed. The keeper's house and fog signal building were destroyed, but Long Point Light remains an active aid to navigation.
  • Wood End Lighthouse. Entrance to Provincetown Harbor, Provincetown, MA. A 38-foot brick tower -- originally painted brown -- was erected, and the light went into service on November 20, 1872. A fifth-order Fresnel lens exhibited a red flash every 15 seconds, 45 feet above the sea. A keeper's dwelling was built about 50 feet northeast of the lighthouse. The lighthouse, still an active aid to navigation, is also viewable from some of the excursion boats out of Provincetown.
  • The Cape Cod Highland Lighthouse is a working lighthouse on the Cape Cod National Seashore in Truro, Massachusetts. In 1797, a station authorized by George Washington was established at this point on the Cape, with a wood lighthouse to warn ships about the dangerous coastline between Cape Ann and Nantucket. It was the first light on Cape Cod. <br /> <br /> The present location of the lighthouse is not the original site. It was in danger of falling down the cliff due to beach erosion, so the structure was moved 450 feet to the west.
  • Chatham Lighthouse, known as "Twin Lights" prior to 1923, is a lighthouse in Chatham, Massachusetts, near the "elbow" of Cape Cod.<br /> <br /> The station was established in 1808, the second light on Cape Cod. To distinguish it from Highland Light, the first Cape Cod light, and to act as a range, twin octagonal 40 ft (12m) wooden towers were built. They were on skids so that they could be moved to keep them in line with the entrance channel as it shifted. <br /> <br /> 1841: The wood octagons were replaced with 40 ft (12m) brick towers<br /> 1857: Fourth order Fresnel lens installed.<br /> 1879: Current structures, of brick lined cast iron, were built.<br /> 1923: Northern tower of the pair was moved roughly 12 miles north to become Nauset Light.<br /> 1939: Chatham Light, which had been kerosene fueled since 1882, became electric.<br /> 1969: Fresnel lens was replaced with a Carlisle & Finch DCB-224 rotating light generating over 2.8 million candlepower.<br /> 1982: Automated, now one of the few lights that operates 24 hours a day.<br /> <br /> The former keeper's house is an active U.S. Coast Guard station, and on-duty personnel living quarters. Search and Rescue, maritime law enforcement, and Homeland Security missions are carried out here. Flotilla 11-01 of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary operates from this station.
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