Cape Cod Lighthouses.

Due to its dangerously hidden and constantly moving shoals of fish located off shore, Cape Cod’s coastline from Chatham to Provincetown a fifty mile stretch of sea, has been called an ocean graveyard with over 3,000 recorded shipwrecks. Between Truro and Wellfleet alone over 1,000 ships have been wrecked. From 1857 lighthouses were erected to serve as beacons to warn ships of the dangers along that stretch of coastline. The Cape Cod light is the oldest and tallest of these and remains one of a number of working lighthouses on Cape Cod and the Islands.

Today most of the lighthouses are operated by the U.S Coast Guard, with some exceptions such as the Nauset light, which was decommissioned in 1996 and is now maintained by the ‘Nauset Light Preservation Society’. 

In 1996, both the ‘Highland Light’ and the ‘Nauset Light’ were moved because were each were at risk from the encroaching seas. The Highland Light, then 110ft from the ocean was moved 450ft to the west and the Nauset light at 37ft from the sea was moved 300ft west. This red and white tower is an easily recognized logo on bags of Cape Cod Potato Chips. 

The Sandy Neck Light in Barnstable was originally erected in 1826 and rebuilt in 1857. The lantern room was replaced in October 2007.

Race Point Light in Provincetown was first lit in 1816 and standing at just 25ft above sea level was one of the earliest revolving lights.  In 1876 the old stone tower was rebuilt and replaced by a 45ft cast iron lighthouse, lined with brick. It wasn’t until 1957 that the light was electrified and finally in 1972 was fully automated.

Gay Head Light in Martha’s Vineyard. The red brick light was built in 1844 to replace the wooden tower. In 1856 the new Fresnel lens was installed. Today it is preserved at the Martha’s Vineyard Historical Society in Edgartown and is lit every evening after dark throughout the year.

Chatham Lighthouse in Cape Cod was once two lights, but one of the towers was moved to Nauset in 1923 to replace the last crumbling Three Sisters. Chatham light is still operational and the keeper’s house is today used by the Coast Guard.