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(More Than Anywhere Else in America!)
Hyannis, Cape Cod, MA Spring 2001—There
is a wonderful mystique about Some of Cape Cod’s lighthouses have been lost or destroyed, but they are still counted among the nautical treasures of Cape Cod, even though some are only memories. The peninsula’s once and present lighthouses are described and pictured in the following pages. If ever there was a ‘land of lighthouses,’ that ‘land’ would be Cape Cod. Wings Neck
Light, Bourne: Wings
Neck Light was built in 1849 because of heavy marine traffic
travelling in Buzzards Bay to ports in Wareham and Nobska Light,
Falmouth . Woods Hole,
jumping off point for the Steamship Authority’s Martha’s
Vineyard ferry, is also home of beautiful Nobska Light. Built
in 1828, the original lighthouse was replaced in 1879. Nobska
Light is unusual because, when seen from the perpendicular, its
beacon appears white, but when viewed from other angles, it appears
Nobska Light stands on a rise of
land towering over the water and is a beacon for Woods Hole Harbor,
guiding mariners travelling between the Cape Cod mainland and
Martha’s Vineyard. The first lighthouse at Nobska (also
spelled Nobsque) was built as a saltbox style keeper’s house
with a lantern placed on the rooftop. This was the style used
for many early Cape Cod lighthouses and all have since been replaced
with newer towers and keeper’s houses; Nobska was no exception.
A new tower was built in 1876 due to the deteriorating condition
of the original. The new tower was a cast iron, brick-lined design
and is still being used there today. The 1876 keeper’s house,
which has grown and expanded over the years, now serves as housing
for the commanding officer of the U.S. The Light is readily accessible
and the view from the grounds across Vineyard Sound to Martha’s
Vineyard is breathtaking. The Light’s aspect makes it extremely
picturesque from land or water and it is easily viewable from
the ferries travelling to or from Martha’s Vineyard. Nobska
Light is still an active lighthouse today. At one time, it was
painted brown at the turn of the century; today it is painted
white and gleams with the late afternoon Sandy Neck
Light, Barnstable. Sandy Neck Light was first established
in 1826 when it was built on Sandy Neck spit, a barrier beach
that separates Barnstable Harbor from Cape Cod Bay. It served
as a beacon for the
Hyannis Light
(aka Lewis Bay Light), Hyannis Harbor.
Hyannis Light Station, also known as Lewis Bay Light, was first
lighted in 1849 as a guide The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1929, when the lantern was completely removed, and the property was sold. Today, Hyannis Light is still privately owned with a rebuilt lantern for more modern usage (although it looks a bit out of proportion). This private lighthouse is readily seen by craft departing from Hyannis Harbor on Lewis Bay. Landlubbers should walk along Lewis Bay Road for a peek at the lighthouse, which is at the entrance to Hyannis’ inner harbor. Bishop and
Clerks Lighthouse, Yarmouth:
Bishop and Clerks Lighthouse was constructed in 1858 to mark
Bishop and Clerks Ledge, a navigational Point Gammon
Light, West Yarmouth:
Point Gammon Light on West Yarmouth’s Grand Island, was
Cape Cod’s fourth lighthouse, built in 1816 as Bass River
Light, West Dennis:
Bass River Light was established in 1854 with funding to build
a lighthouse just east of Bass River in West Dennis. Chatham Light,
Chatham. The first
lighthouse built at Chatham was in 1808 when two small wooden
towers were built as beacons for Chatham’s treacherous shoals
and as a guide to help locate Chatham Harbor. With erosion and
deterioration threatening, the original wooden towers were By the early 1870s, erosion was
encroaching on Chatham Light and the towers, again, needed replacing.
In 1879, two new cast iron, brick-lined towers were constructed
at a location farther from the shoreline (this is the Chatham
Twin Lights in this picture taken from a turn of the century
postcard). Chatham Light was built in 1881 and moved next to
the Coast Guard Station in the early 1920s. By 1923, the Lighthouse
Service was finding it expensive to maintain light stations with
two lights, such as Chatham’s, and eliminated one of the
towers (the ‘north tower’ was moved to Eastham and
became Nauset Light, replacing the last remaining wooden tower
in Eastham which was part of the ‘Three Sisters’).
The second original cast iron 1879 tower (the ‘south tower’)
remains at Chatham Light Today Chatham Light is also Chatham
Coast Guard Station, a very important lifeboat station along
this dangerous shoreline. Its light and its Coast Guard crew
both continue to serve modern mariners. A modern entrepreneur
has wisely installed coin-operated telescopes near the Light
and these provide a wonderful perspectives of the Chatham Break
through Monomoy Point
Light, Monomoy Island, off Chatham.
Monomoy Island sits at the southern tip of Chatham where it protrudes
into Nantucket Sound eight miles offshore. Shifting sands and
treacherous shoals have played an ongoing role in Monomoy’s
natural history, making this a dangerous passage for mariners.
In the late 18th century, it was apparent that a light at Monomoy
Point would greatly benefit vessels entering Nantucket Sound
and a lighthouse was first established here in 1823. Over the
years, Monomoy has changed from a point to an island and back
again in a process that is ever ongoing. There was once even
a small village, Whitewash Village, located on Monomoy for much
of the nineteenth century. The 1823 lighthouse was in poor condition
by 1840 and money was Stage Harbor
Light Station, Chatham:
Stage Harbor Light was built in 1880 on Harding’s Beach
(it has also been known as Harding’s Beach Light. In 1880,
a cast iron tower was constructed next to a typical lightkeeper’s
house. The light served as a beacon for Chatham’s ‘Old,’
or Stage, Harbor. Nauset Light,
Nauset Light Beach,* Eastham.
Before Nauset Light was moved from Chatham (where it stood next
to Chatham Light) in 1923 and erected, three lights—‘Three
Sisters’—stood watch, guiding sailors home. Nauset
Beach Light Station was first established in 1839 with the construction
of three small brick towers, built as an aid to local mariners  In 1911, two of the wooden towers
were discarded before they, too, fell over the bluff (three separate
lighthouses was an expensive proposition). The center tower was
retained and became part of the keeper’s house. This tower
became known as ‘The Beacon.’ By 1923, the Lighthouse
Service, finding it expensive to maintain a set of twin lights
at Chatham, replaced Threatened by shoreline erosion throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the historic 114-foot tower was, again, in very real danger of being lost. Funds were raised and the lighthouse was successfully moved to a new location just to the west of its former site in late 1996. In October of 1998, the 1875 lighthouse keeper’s home (which is privately owned) was also moved and reunited with the light tower. Both are now on property of the Cape Cod National Seashore. The second set of triple lights (built in 1892) have been reunited, restored, and preserved by the Cape Cod National Seashore. The old ‘Three Sisters’ (see below) are located just up the street from their original location. *(not to be confused with Nauset Beach, in Orleans.) Three Sisters
Lighthouses, Eastham:
Nauset Beach Light Station was first established in 1839 with
construction of three small brick towers. Because it comprises
three separate structures, the light station has always
Mayo Beach
Light Station, Wellfleet.
This lighthouse was first established at Mayo’s Beach in
1838, well within Wellfleet Harbor. There was controversy within
the lighthouse ‘establishment’ over the actual need
for such a light to be used as an aide for local Wellfleet fishermen.
The first lighthouse constructed here was a lantern placed on
top of a saltbox-style keeper’s house. Although protected
within Wellfleet Harbor, Cape Cod
Light, North Truro.
Also known as Highland Light, at 620,000 candlepower, Cape Cod
Light is New England’s most powerful. Ships from 30 miles
at sea can see its welcoming beacon. In 1797, George Washington
ordered construction of this wooden lighthouse to watch over
shoals which became known as ‘the ship graveyard.’
This was Cape Cod’s first lighthouse. Cape Cod Light Station
is the official name for this, one of Cape Cod’s  The Light was rebuilt in 1857 with the same 66-foot tower which is still in place today, although in a slightly different spot from where it first stood. A major project during 1996 and part of 1997 moved the brick lighthouse some 600 feet back from the eroding sand cliffs which are slowly being worn away by the turbulent winter surf. The wooden light keeper’s house was also relocated and rejoined to the lighthouse. Cape Cod Light now sits between the seventh and eighth fairways of the Highland Links, one of America’s ten oldest golf courses. Cape Cod Light is usually the first
American lighthouse to be seen by ships crossing the Atlantic
and headed for Boston. The first lighting apparatus installed
in the 1797 tower used 24 sperm whale oil lamps arranged within
two tiers of reflectors grouped in a ¾ circle; it did
not flash. When the lighthouse was rebuilt in 1857, a superior
fresnel lens was installed in the lantern (only a few other fresnel
lenses had yet been placed in American lighthouses). The United
States Lighthouse Board was slowly converting to fresnel, which
was far superior to anything then in use in American lighthouses,
although, by then, they were widely used in Europe. The fresnel
lens supplied a better light and was much more economical, although Today, the beautiful old glass
lens is gone, having been replaced by an electric aerobeacon;
the old daboll fog signal has also been removed. For many years,
a radio beacon installed at the lighthouse in 1904 was used by
ships for radio direction finding when the beacon was not visible.
Because of the Light’s strategic location, it was a good
place to see inbound ships as they neared port. As a result,
a Marine Reporting Station operated at the Cape Cod Light has always been
popular with tourists, perhaps because of its location on the
Cape’s majestic backside facing the raw Atlantic Ocean,
but also maybe, because of its closeness to Provincetown which,
since the late 1800s, has been a popular summer destination.
One of the more famous, and early, visitors at Cape Cod Light
was the philosopher from Walden Pond and Concord, Henry David
Thoreau, who devoted a whole chapter called ‘The Highland
Light’ in his classic 1864 book, Cape Cod. He stayed overnight Race Point Light, Provincetown. The first lighthouse at Race Point was built in 1816 to preside over the entrance to Provincetown Harbor (the shoals off Provincetown were so treacherous that, even after the Light was built, from 1816 to 1946, more than 100 shipwrecks occurred within view of its beacon). An early 1838 Treasury Department lighthouse report notes: “The Light’s location renders it a light of great value and importance to the navigation of Boston Bay, and to vessels arriving from sea.” That same report describes the site: “...tower and dwelling of stone, judiciously connected together by the kitchen...”  In 1876, the original 20-foot conical rubblestone tower was torn down and its height doubled with the construction of a 42-foot cast iron and brick-lined new tower. The old ten-lamp, 13-inch reflector light was replaced with a new fourth order fresnel lens. Today, the newer 1876 tower is painted white and the light runs on solar power, as do the other two Provincetown lighthouses. The keeper’s house, also built in 1876, still stands and a fog horn still operates from Race Point. All three Provincetown lights—Race Point, Wood End and Long Point Lights—are fairly inaccessible and access to Race Point Light is only by 4-wheel drive vehicles travelling across the dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore or on foot. Long Point
Light, Provincetown:
Long Point Light, established in 1827 as a sentinel for Provincetown
Harbor, is located on a sandy spit of sand dune sweeping around
the outer edge of Provincetown where land dissolves into sea.
That first Light was described as a stationary light atop of
the original keeper’s house; it was 28 feet high and was
visible for 13 miles. Long Point is a sandy protection for one
of the finest harbors on the Massachusetts  A new tower was built at Long Point
in 1875 and that tower is still in use today. Both Long Point
and Wood End Lights were small square tapered brick towers. Because
of the heavy fog at the Cape-end, the fog-signal bell was an
important part of this station. Edward Rowe Snow in his book,
Famous New England Lighthouses, tells of a lightkeeper at Long
Point in 1933 who spent two nights operating the half-ton fog
bell by hand when the Wood End
Light Station, Provincetown:
Wood End Light stands between Race and Long Points at the tip
of Provincetown. In shape and size, it is nearly identical to
Long Point Light; both were built as white, brick, tapering square
towers. Wood End Light is the youngest of Provincetown’s
three lighthouses, having been built in 1873 when the present
tower was
Billingsgate Light—Lost to the Sea: This lighthouse and keeper’s house, built in 1882, once sat at the southern tip of Billingsgate Island, known as ‘The Point.’ The Island was eroded into two pieces just before the Civil War, when the lighthouse was moved to a northern point which sat on higher ground. The tireless ocean undermined both structures, which were moved to a private plot of land in 1915 and then to a new ‘skeleton’ tower east of the old light.  On December 26, 1915, a raging Atlantic storm with incredibly high tides nearly devastated the older tower and, in 1922, after seven additional years of duty, use of the ‘skeleton’ tower was discontinued. Today, Billingsgate Island is mostly under water except at low tide and all of the dwellings and fishing shacks are gone. The lighthouse’s bricks have been reincarnated as many Cape Cod fireplaces, chimneys and brick walkways.
For more information about Cape
Cod’s lighthouses, including detail on each structure included
here visit www.capecod.net/~gbenoit/capecod.htm.
For additional information about visiting Cape Cod, contact the
Cape Cod Chamber of Commerce at 508-862-0700 or 800-33 CAPECOD,
by e-mail at info@capecodchamber.org
or online at www.capecodchamber.org. |
Sandwich. When the Cape Cod Canal opened in 1914, Wings Neck
Light assumed its real importance for a number of years. The
first lighthouse at Wings Neck was a Cape Cod-style lightkeeper’s
house with a lantern placed on the roof. In 1889, damage from
an earlier fire and general disrepair forced the construction
of a new lighthouse. The present keeper’s house, with its
attached hexagonal wooden tower, was built to replace the old
Cape Cod-style house. For many years, Wings Neck was deemed one
of the most important lighthouses on the Atlantic Coast because
of the heavy shipping travelling the Cape Cod Canal. By 1943,
the lighthouse was becoming obsolete and a ‘skeleton’
tower was constructed to replace the original. The property was
sold by the government in 1947 and Wings Neck Light and its surrounding
area are now privately owned with no public access.
reddish. This helps orient sailors
to their position relative to the lighthouse.
Coast
Guard at Group Woods Hole.
growing
harbor at Barnstable as well as for mariners in Cape Cod Bay.
The original Sandy Neck Light was built with the lantern mounted
on the roof of the keeper’s house, as was the case with
many earlier lights. The lighthouse was rebuilt in 1857 with
a new separate tower and keeper’s house. These both still
stand today on the dunes of Sandy Neck. The tower was abandoned
as a lighthouse in 1931, when the lantern was removed from the
top. The property was later sold by the federal government and
remains privately owned today. While no longer home to a light,
the lighthouse is
for
mariners entering Hyannis Harbor from the west. At first, the
lighthouse served merely as a small beacon but, in the mid 1880s,
a small second light was added to the station so that they could
be used together as a range light. Very little changed through
the years at Hyannis Light. Originally, the Light had a larger
old-style lantern than the one shown in the photograph here.
Sometime before the turn of the 20th century, the old lantern
was replaced, perhaps when the Light was updated to a new-style
fresnel lens.
danger just off the coast of Yarmouth, close to the entrance
to nearby Hyannis Harbor. In 1855, a lightship was stationed
there, which, together with Point Gammon Lighthouse on Grand
Island in West Yarmouth, served as beacons for mariners avoiding
the dangers in approaching Hyannis Harbor. The lightship proved
unsuitable and was replaced in 1858. The new Bishop and Clerks
Lighthouse was constructed directly on the ledge, surrounded
by water. It was an early American waveswept light, much like
the famed granite Minot’s Ledge Light built on the Cohasset
Rocks south of Boston. Once the new Lighthouse was lighted, Point
Gammon Light on the nearby Yarmouth shore was discontinued. Bishop
and Clerks’ tower was a gray, granite structure with a wooden
addition attached to its side to house the fog-bell and its mechanism.
Over the years there were changes to the lighting characteristic,
but few changes to the tower. In 1923, it was discontinued as
an active lighthouse, but the old tower remained in place until
1952 when the government contracted to have the old lighthouse
a
beacon for Hyannis Harbor. Both the tower and attached keeper’s
house were built of stone. The house was described in 1838 as
being connected to the light tower through the kitchen (very
convenient for the keeper). The Light remained active until Bishop
and Clerks Lighthouse was built on the nearby Bishop and Clerks
Ledge in 1858. Point Gammon Light was then discontinued and slowly
fell into disrepair, despite a slight effort at periodic maintenance.
In 1872, the Point Gammon property was sold by the government.
The original keeper’s house was razed, but the tower still
stands presiding over Nantucket Sound at the entrance to Hyannis
Outer Harbor and Lewis Bay and is visible to craft entering and
leaving Hyannis
This new lighthouse was to replace a privately maintained light
which had operated in the area for some time. A light keeper’s
house was built and the lantern was placed on top. Bass River
Light continued operating until 1914, when its use was discontinued
by the government. A ‘skeleton’ tower was constructed
to replace it across the river at South Yarmouth. Although a
minor light, Bass River Light served mariners crossing Nantucket
Sound and served as a beacon for Bass River itself, which had
a small harbor near its mouth. To the east of Bass River Light
was Stage Harbor Light and Monomoy Light, both in Chatham, and
just to the west was Bishop and Clerks Light off the Yarmouth
coast. Shortly after the lighthouse’s decommissioning by
the government, it took on new life—the old building became
a guest house. Then, in the late 1930s, it became The Lighthouse
Inn. Between the old lighthouse and Bass River (which demarcates
the borders of Dennis and Yarmouth) is ever-popular West Dennis
Beach, one of the finest warm-water beaches on Cape Cod’s
south coast. In the late 1980s, the Stone family, which still
owns The Lighthouse Inn, relit the beacon, and it serves, once
again, as a private aide to navigation during the summer season.
replaced with two new brick towers
constructed in 1841. Lighthouses along Cape Cod’s outer
shore led a precarious existence as they were continually
appropriated
by the government for a new lighthouse; the light was not rebuilt,
however, until 1855. The last tower constructed at Monomoy was
built during the 1870s, when a modern cast iron tower replaced
the 1855 structure. This tower, although decommissioned as a
lighthouse, still stands today. In 1923, when one of the twin
towers at Chatham Light was moved to Nauset, the government decided
to decommission Monomoy Point Light. The
In 1933,
the tower was replaced by an iron skeleton tower a short distance
away. A few years later, the old tower and keeper’s house
were sold by
been known locally as the ‘Three
Sisters of Nauset.’ The ‘Three Sisters’ have been
moved a half-mile from shore and are arranged in an attractive
parklike setting, standing as a monument to all lighthouses still
in existence.
erosion
threatened the lighthouse and, by 1880, a bulkhead was built
to protect the property and plans were underway to construct
a new house and separate tower. A cast iron tower and a 2½
story keeper’s house were built in 1881 to replace the old
lighthouse. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1922 and the
cast iron tower was disassembled sometime in the late 1930s.
Today, all that is left of Mayo Beach Light is the 1880s keeper’s
house and oil house, which was constructed just after the turn
of the century; both are privately owned.
constructed. There
were a keeper’s and oil houses, and once a lifesaving station
nearby. Today, only the lighthouse and oil storage buildings
remain; the other structures are long gone. Wood End Light is
now automated, and, like the other two Provincetown lights, is
solar-powered. A fog horn is still active at this lighthouse,
as is true for both Race and Long Point Lights.
