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 (followed by Long Point and Wood End). As in the Long Point area, a small settlement based upon fishing and saltworks emerged - dubbed "Helltown" by the locals. The settlement lasted until the later half of the 19th century.

The original 1816 tower was a twenty-foot rubblestone tower. The lantern room housed ten Lewis lamps, thirteen reflectors, and Winslow Lewis' bottle-green glass magnifiers, by which many accounts only "made a bad light worse." (Clark, p. 45)

Travel to and from Provincetown was difficult - the route required crossing the sand dunes to Provincetown. In 1839, a dike was built across Hatch's Harbor to shorten the trip. Nevertheless, it was still a difficult journey. In 1935, Keeper James Hinkley devised a Ford with soft tires - "what may have been the first dune-buggy" (Clark, p. 49) - to cut the travel time to Provincetown to thirty minutes.

A fog bell was installed in 1852, and a fourth-order Fresnel lens in 1855. The fog signal was replaced in 1873, and the tower replaced in 1876 with the current structure - a 40-foot cast iron tower lined with brick.

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Pilgrim's Monument at Left

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Long Point Light

Long Point Light is situated at the very tip of Cape Cod. By 1818, a settlement began to develop at Long Point, based upon fishing and salt manufacture. As the importance of Provincetown grew, it was decided that a lighthouse was needed to mark the entrance to the harbor.

The original structure was constructed in 1826, and lamp first lit in 1827. The site consisted of a keeper's house with a lantern room on the roof. The original oil lamp was upgraded in 1856 to a sixth-order Fresnel lens.

The settlement at Long Point consisted of over two hundred people at its height. The settlement was centered around the lighthouse, and also consisted of a school and windmills for pumping seawater in salt production. The settlement largely disappeared during the 1850's, primarily due to the discovery of salt deposits near Syracuse, NY.

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During the Civil War, a pair of forts were built at Long Point. Dubbed "Fort Useless" and "Fort Harmless" (or "Fort Ridiculous", depending on the source) by the locals, the forts never fired a shot in anger.

The original station was increasingly threatened by erosion - pilings which supported the structure and protected it were decaying. In 1875, the original structure was replaced with a new keeper's house and 38-foot brick tower (originally painted brown - it has since been repainted white) with a fifth-order Fresnel lens.

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From the Tip of Cape Cod

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An old wreck near Long Point. Pilgrim's Monument is off to the right.

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The third lighthouse in Provincetown was built in 1872, between Race Point and Long Point - at the elbow of the sandbar which surrounds Provincetown harbor. The light was designed as an exact replica of Long Point Light. It was originally painted brown, and housed a fifth-order Fresnel lens. In 1896, a second keeper's house, storage shed, and oil house were added. A fog bell in a tower was added in 1902.

By 1872, most of the community at the tip of the Cape was gone. However, as reported to the Lighthouse Board in 1880 (Clark, p.126) "The keeper of this station is much annoyed by the stench and flies coming from the fish-oil works located between this and Long Point Station."

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In 1911, a breakwater was built across the upper end of the harbor - this allowed much more direct access to Wood End Station at low tide. The breakwall still stands today, and is the most direct route to the lighthouse.

The worst wreck off Wood End took place on December 17, 1927. The Navy submarine S-4 and Coast Guard Cutter Paulding collided half a mile south of the light. The submarine was lost with all hands.

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Pilgrim's Monument at Right 

References 

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Situated on a cliff 183 feet above sea level, Highland (Cape Cod) Light was the first of the lighthouses of the Cape. Construction of the lighthouse was prompted by numerous shipwrecks in "the dark chasm between Cape Ann and Nantucket" (Clark, p. 23). Shipping interests, rallied to action by Dr. James Freeman, petitioned the young federal government to act. The original lighthouse was authorized by George Washington in 1796. That year, the government purchased ten acres of land for the lighthouse from Isaac Small of Truro for $110. The lighthouse was completed in 1797.

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The light consisted of 15 Argand lamps, which were surrounded by a revolving eclipser. This flashing light, the first in the US, was intended to differentiate this light from Boston Light. However, reports of the time indicate that this was not entirely successful. One visitor, Edward Augustus Randall, wrote that "the light is full only for a single moment in the course of each revolution; it is also only eclipsed for a single moment; but during all the time in between, it is no more than obscure and imperfect light." (Snow p. 256)

By 1857, the original structure was deemed unsafe and replaced. The new light featured a first-order Fresnel lens, which was replaced in 1901 by an even larger rotating first-order Fresnel lens, supported on a bed of mercury. In 1932, a 1000-watt electric lamp was installed, which was said to be visible 45 miles away. The light was automated in 1986. In 1987 the Fresnel lens was replaced by a pair of aerobeacons. Each beacon contained two 1000-watt lamps (one flips on should the other fail).

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In 1998, the aerobeacons were in turn replaced by a 110-watt beacon. The lighthouse currently belongs to the National Park Service as part of the Cape Cod National Seashore, and serves as an active aid to navigation.

The lighthouse is open to the public. On the day of our visit in 1998, the light was closed. We spoke briefly with the docent, who turned out to be Gordon Russell, president of the Truro Historical Society. He told us that the Coast Guard was doing some repair work. The cashier at the souvenir shop later told us that the damage was caused by an errant golf ball!

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Aerobeacons

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In the Lantern Room

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Stairs to the Top

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1857 Chimney

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Popular with Visitors

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Rock Marking Original Site

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Plaque Marking Original Site

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References (see links)

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There are conflicting reports as to the exact location of the lighthouse. An 1848 survey places it several miles north of the harbor mouth, on Corn Hill, while an 1858 map places it at Snow's Beach, at the mouth of the harbor. The property was sold to the government by Jane Snow, and the 1854 List of Lights places the light 31 feet above the sea, which support the Snow's Beach site. The lighthouse was discontinued in 1856. The property was sold in 1857 or 1858. There is no record of what became of the lighthouse, and there is no known photo of the lighthouse.

References (see links)

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Mayo Beach Light was established in 1838 at Wellfleet Harbor. There was some criticism that the light was unnecessary. One inspector wrote "the harbor is but four miles long... when vessels get within Billingsgate light they are as safe as they can be in any part of the harbor... according to my judgement, (the light) should be entirely suppressed." (Clark, p. 93) A supporter of the light wrote the light was needed to navigate Wellfleet Harbor beyond Billingsgate Light, and "that there are belonging in this port over one hundred vessels, employed in the casting trade, and fisheries from 25 to 100 tons - and the imports are of considerable importance to the maintenance of the inhabitants, as the country back is sterile and unproductive." (Clifford, "19th Century Lights",Page. 61)

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Tower Foundation at right

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References (see links)

Directions: The residence is private property and not open to the public, but can be easily viewed from the road. From Eastham - travel north on State Route 6 to Wellfleet. At the second stoplight (in Wellfleet), turn left (west) on Main Street, and the left on Commercial Street. When in the harbor area, turn right on Kendrick Road. The keeper's house is adjacent to the beach. (January 2007)

Note that the lighthouse is private property. Please respect the privacy of the owners.

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Billingsgate Light is usually described as the Atlantis of Cape Cod. At its height, Billingsgate Island had 30 homes and its own school. The island was described by the Pilgrims in 1620 as "an island of 60 acres southwest of Wellfleet" (Clark p. 50), and due south of Jeremy Point. The island no longer exists - a victim of the ever-changing boundaries of the Cape.

Since the area was an excellent location for fishermen, a fourteen-foot lighthouse on a granite foundation was built at the island in 1822. In 1858, a new lighthouse was built, similar in design to the previous structure. Over this period, the island was clearly disappearing due to erosion. The keeper's existence became increasingly isolated as the sea crept in and the families left. Keeper Herman Dill reported the tide "made a clean sweep through inside...there was three to five feet of water." (Clark, p. 53) In 1888, the lighthouse was so threatened from the sea that 1000 feet of bulkheads and jetties were built around the lighthouse. By 1915, the only occupants of the island were the keeper and a watchman who guarded the Wellfleet oyster bed. The lamp was removed in 1915, and placed on a beacon nearby. The beacon was continued until 1922. The island itself completely vanished by 1942. Only a shoal marked by a buoy remains today. The shoal remains a popular fishing area.

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References (see links)

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The Three Sisters in December

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.

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The three towers were built for $6500, which was $3500 less than the appropriation for the new lighthouses. The low bidder was Winslow Lewis. Apparently shoddy workmanship was the reason Lewis could underbid his competitors. The project overseer at first refused to sign off on the work due to the poor construction. He wrote "the masons...laid the bricks comprising the interior of the wall entirely at random...I detected the masons several times shoveling in sand instead of mortar." Lewis' own nephew, I.W.P. Lewis, criticized the work. He wrote that the "towers were built on sand with no foundations, inferior lime went into the mortar, that bricks were laid without bonding." (Clark, pp. 84-85)

Sixth-order Fresnel lenses replaced Winslow Lewis' reflectors in 1858. Fourth-order lenses were installed in 1873. In 1892, three new movable wooden towers were built to replace the original brick towers. That same year, the brick towers were lost to erosion - one of their bases can still occasionally be seen offshore.

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The vestibule plans for the sisters were never located during restoration. Old photos bore a resemblance to Brant Point. That light was used as a model for restoring the vestibules of the sisters. (J. Jelniker, via email)

References (see links)

Life on the Edge - the Lighthouses of Nauset West pp. 11-20
Lighthouses of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket - Their History and Lore, Clark pp. 83-91
The Lighthouses of New England, Snow pp. 265-267, 272
Massachusetts Lighthouses - A Pictorial Guide, Thompson p. 72
Lighthouses and Life Saving Stations Along the Massachusetts Coast, Claflin p. 69
New England Lighthouses, Roberts and Jones pp. 70,72
Lighthouses of Massachusetts, Roberts and Jones pp. 54-55

Thanks to Jeff Jelniker, National Park Service project manager responsible for the restoration, for providing additional information.

Thanks to Lynn Cope Conroy for providing the photo of the Middle Sister prior to restoration.

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The Middle Sister

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Original Tower Foundation at Nauset Beach

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The Three Sisters in Summer

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North Sister

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South Sister

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Middle and South Sisters

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North Sister

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Middle Sister

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Middle and South Sisters

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North Sister

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1/3 Mile to Nauset Beach

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South Sister

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References (see links)

Life on the Edge - the Lighthouses of Nauset West pp. 11-20
Lighthouses of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket - Their History and Lore, Clark pp. 83-91
The Lighthouses of New England, Snow pp. 265-267, 272
Massachusetts Lighthouses - A Pictorial Guide, Thompson p. 72
Lighthouses and Life Saving Stations Along the Massachusetts Coast, Claflin p. 69
New England Lighthouses, Roberts and Jones pp. 70,72
Lighthouses of Massachusetts, Roberts and Jones pp. 54-55

Thanks to Jeff Jelniker, National Park Service project manager responsible for the restoration, for providing additional information.

Thanks to Lynn Cope Conroy for providing the photo of the Middle Sister prior to restoration.

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Directions: The lighthouse grounds are open year-round as part of the Cape Cod National Seashore. According to the NPS website, there are ranger-led tours of the lights. From Plymouth - take State Route 6 to Eastham, and turn right (east) on Nauset road. Follow the signs to Nauset lighthouse. There is a large parking area adjacent to the lighthouse, and a walkway down the cliff to Nauset Beach. (You will actually pass the Three Sisters on the way to the parking lot.) There is a parking fee before 4:30PM in the summer, and the lot may be full during the day in the summer due to the beach access. The Three Sisters Lighthouses are a short walk from Nauset Light. The base of one of the old towers is visible at Nauset Beach during winter months.

For more information on the Cape Cod National Seashore, visit the National Park Service website (see links). (January 2007)

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The current beacon at Eastham (originally built in 1887) was moved from Chatham in 1923 to replace the Three Sisters. The upper portion of the beacon was painted red in 1940, to distinguish it from Highland and Chatham lights.

A fourth-order Fresnel lens from the last of the Three Sisters was installed in the tower. The light was automated in 1955, and red and white aerobeacons replaced the Fresnel lens (now on display at the Salt Pond visitor's center in Eastham). Like Highland Light, Nauset Light was in danger of being lost to erosion. In 1993, the Coast Guard proposed decommisioning the light.

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The light was saved, however, by the Nauset Light Preservation Society, which financed a project to move the light further inland. By November 1996, the light stood adjacent to the keeper's house, just 25 feet from the edge of the cliff overlooking Nauset Beach. The light was moved away from the cliff to its present location shortly afterwards. It now serves as a private aid to navigation.

In October/November of 1998, the keeper's house was also moved. The house was relocated to the same orientation relative to the lighthouse as the old site. As of April 1998 the keeper's house had stood a mere 27 feet from the eroding cliff. The house was donated to the National Park Service, and the donor given a 25-year lease. The house remains a private residence.

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Down the Stairs

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The Original Fresnel Lens

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Tower Close-Up

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The Tower at Xmas

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From the Road

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Spiral Staircase

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Late Afternoon

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June 1998 - Before the Keeper's House Move

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June 1998 - Before the Keeper's House Move - cliff is off to the right

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Tower and Fence

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The Tower in the Sun

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Tower in Shadow

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Tower at Sunset

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Beach at Sunset

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Across the Road

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References (see links)

Lighthouses of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket - Their History and Lore, Clark p. 87
The Lighthouses of New England, Snow pp. 266-267, 272
Massachusetts Lighthouses - A Pictorial Guide, Thompson pp. 70-71
New England Lighthouses, Roberts and Jones p. 70
Lighthouse of Massachusetts, Roberts and Jones pp. 56-57
Lighthouse Digest, January-February 2006

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Directions:

Take Route 6 to Bracket Road (third traffic signal from Eastham/Orleans rotary). Turn right onto Bracket Road. Go to end and take left onto Nauset Road. Take first right onto Cable Road. At end of Cable Road, take left onto Ocean View Drive. (The above directions are from the Nauset Light Preservation Society website). You can also take Nauset Road directly from Route 6, and follow it to Cable Road. There is a parking lot adjacent to the lighthouse, and a walkway down the cliff to Nauset Beach. There is a parking fee before 4:30PM in the summer, and the lot may be full during the day in the summer due to the beach access. The Three Sisters are a short walk from Nauset Light. As of 2006, the light is open every Sunday (July through October), as well as additional days in May and June, and Wednesdays in July and August. The grounds are open year-round. For current information on the light and the visiting schedule, contact the Nauset Light Preservation Society (see links).

The Fresnel lens is located at the Cape Cod National Seashore's Salt Pond Visitor's Center, just off Route 6 in Eastham. For more information, visit the National Park Service Website (see links).

Note: The keeper's house is a private residence. (January 2007)

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         Central and Eastern Cape Cod

                  Sandy Neck Light







Source of Photograph.....

www.boston.com/.../2008/08/sandy_neck_light.htm

Barnstable Harbor was an important port for fishing and trade in the early 1800's. The first Sandy Neck (or Beach Point) Lighthouse was constructed in 1827 - a lantern on the roof of the keepers house. The first keeper was Joseph Nickerson. In 1857, the old lighthouse was replaced by a brick tower (painted white). A new keeper's house was built in 1880. In 1887, it was reported by the Lighthouse Board (Clark, p. 81): "The brick tower, being badly cracked, was strengthened with two iron hoops and six staves." These repairs are still visible today.


By 1931, the importance of Barnstable harbor had diminished, and sand had built up at the tip of Sandy Neck, making the lighthouse's position less important. The lighthouse was decommissioned, and a skeleton tower with a beacon placed 200 feet closer to the tip of Sandy Neck. the tower was discontinued in 1952, the lantern room removed, and the site sold to private ownership. Today, Sandy Neck is a wildlife refuge.

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In Summer 2006, plans were approved to restore the tower lantern room. The goal was to restore the lantern room for the tower's 150th anniversary in 2007. The original lantern room specifications are an exact match to the recently restored lantern room in St. Helena, Michigan. The Michigan group lent molds for castings to the Sandy Neck Lighthouse Restoration Committee. In 2007, the lantern room was completed - Sandy Neck was no longer a headless tower.

The Light Station is at center

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References (see links)

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The lighthouse can be viewed from a distance across Barnstable harbor at Millway Beach. To get to the beach, take exit 6 off Route 6 north to Barnstable. Turn right (east) on 6A, and turn left (north) on Mill Way. The beach is at the end of the road.

For more information on Sandy Neck Beach, visit the Town of Barnstable website (see links).

For more information on the American Lighthouse Foundation, whose chapter is working to restore the lantern room, visit their website (see links).

Note that the lighthouse is private property. Please respect the privacy of the owners. (December 2007)

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Bass River Light was established in 1850 and completed in 1855 at the mouth of the Bass River, which separates the southern end of Dennis and Yarmouth). It consisted of lamp on the roof of the keeper's house, and was equipped with a fifth-order Fresnel lens. Until this time, local captains were paying 25 cents a month for William Crowell, a local, to keep a lantern lit in his attic as an aid to mariners. When the light was completed, Crowell was made the first keeper - a post he held until 1880, interrupted only by service in the Union army during the Civil War.

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The light was deemed unnecessary after the completion of Stage Harbor Light, and discontinued in 1880. Complaints led to the re-lighting of the light in 1881. With the establishment of an automated beacon, and the completion of the Cape Cod canal, the Fresnel lens was removed and the lighthouse sold to private ownership in 1914.

State Senator Everett Stone purchased the site in 1938 - his descendents still own the property, and have converted it into the Lighthouse Inn. The original lighthouse site in the center of what is now the inn's central building. A modern 300 mm optic was installed in the beacon and relit on August 7, 1989, the 200th anniversary of the Lighthouse Service. In 2003, owners Bob and Mary Stone were awarded the honor of "Masters of New England Innkeeping" for their efforts at the Lighthouse Inn.

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Beach Shower

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A Cool, Clear Morning

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References (see links)

Lighthouses of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket - Their History and Lore, Clark pp. 115-119

Massachusetts Lighthouses - A Pictorial Guide, Thompson p. 66

Lighthouses and Life Saving Stations Along the Massachusetts Coast, Claflin p. 80
The Keeper's Log Summer 2003

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Directions: The lighthouse is now the Lighthouse Inn. On State Route 28 in West Dennis, turn south on School Street. You will see a sign for the Lighthouse Inn on School Street. Turn right on Lighthouse Road. Keep following the signs to Lighthouse Inn Road.

For more information on visiting or staying at the Lighthouse Inn, visit their website (see links). (January 2007)

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Stage Harbor Light (also known as Harding Beach Light), built in 1880, is the youngest of the Cape Cod Light Stations. Chatham is the entrance to Stage Harbor, important to fishing and commercial traffic of the time. The light was installed to complement the light at Chatham, which one of the foggiest points on the East Coast.

The tower was built of curved iron plates lined with brick - identical to the "Chatham Twins." A fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed. The light was attached to a keeper's house similar to the one at Mayo Beach.

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During Prohibition, liquor was stored under the floorboards in the passage between the light and keeper's house. During a surprise inspection, the inspector noted the loose floorboards, but simply told the keeper to repair them!

An automated light on a skeleton tower was built in 1933, and the lighthouse was decommissioned. The lantern room was removed, and the site sold to private ownership.

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From Chatham

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References (see links)

Lighthouses of Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket - Their History and Lore, Clark pp. 130-135

The Lighthouses of New England, Snow pp. 321, 324

Massachusetts Lighthouses - A Pictorial Guide, Thompson pp. 64-65

Lighthouses and Life Saving Stations Along the Massachusetts Coast, Claflin pp. 73

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Directions:

The lighthouse is private property and not open to the public. The light can be closely viewed from Harding's Beach. From Dennis and Harwich - travel east on State Route 28 to West Chatham. Turn south on Barn Hill Road. Bear right onto Harding's Beach Road. There is ample parking in the Harding's Beach lot. The lighthouse is one mile hike east of the beach across the sand.

The light is distantly visible from the lantern room of the Chatham light.

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