We left in the Jeep today to check out several lighthouses. We didn’t know what to expect, but we wanted to see as many as possible in this general area of Cape Cod. There was some disappointment, but one was also totally awesome.
- Chatham Light (Chatham, MA)- Originally two towers that provided two single fixed beam lights. With technological updates Chatham Lighthouse currently displays two white lights every 10 seconds that can be seen for 24 nautical miles (about 28 miles). The second tower was moved to Eastham to become the Nauset Beach Light.
Message is loud and clear. You won’t catch me in these waters!
2. Nauset Light (Eastham, MA)
Above left you can see the Three Sisters in the shake siding. The picture above right is Nauset within the shake siding between the restroom doors. It include its two beacons. It’s a relatively short walk from the parking lot to the beautiful Nauset Light. I LOVE the red and white!
A couple arrived at Nauset Light with a bag of Cape Cod potato chips. We didn’t realize till then that this is the iconic lighthouse on these bags of chips. They handed us the chips and took our picture with the lighthouse (above right), then we took their picture.
Characteristic of the light: Two rotating beacons that flash red and then flash white with 5 second intervals between them. The white flash visibility is about 28 miles/24 nautical miles; the red flash 23 miles/20 nautical miles.
Nauset Beach Light Station’s Evolution with Coastal Erosion
To help distinguish various light stations within the Cape Cod area, Chatham originally had twin white lights, and Eastham (Nauset Beach) had three 15-ft brick towers with a white light on top of each. Nauset Light soon acquired the nickname “The Three Sisters”. This first light station at Eastham was completed in 1838. Due to the encroaching cliff edge, in 1892, the three brick tower “Sisters” were replaced by three 22-foot wooden towers, and were moved back 50 feet. But in 1911, the shoreline had continued to recede. So two of the sisters were auctioned off. The third one was moved back further, put on a brick foundation, and attached to the keeper’s house. A rotating Fresnel lens flashing three times every ten seconds was installed.
In 1923, when the last of the “sisters” was retired, the 48-foot north tower at Chatham that was no longer needed, was dismantled and transported to Eastham. The tower was reconstructed, but placed about 200 feet back from the edge of the cliff near the relocated keeper’s house. In the 1940s, Nauset Lighthouse was painted red and white as a daytime indicator. In 1981, the light’s Fresnel lens was replaced by two rotating beacons. The signal was changed from three white flashes (the Three Sisters characteristic) to one red and one white flash with 5 second intervals between them.
The present Nauset Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is the iconic lighthouse of Cape Cod. Unfortunately, coastal erosion continued and by 1996 it was dangerously close to the edge of the cliff. (See the picture below – Christopher Setterlund photo.)
DANG, that’s close! Especially when you realize the last couple feet are not “solid ground” but flares out over the face of the cliff!
Less than 35 feet remained in November 1996 when Nauset Lighthouse was moved in one piece approximately 300 feet to a new site across the road. The rate of erosion is calculated to be about 3 feet a year! In its new location, they believe Nauset Lighthouse should be safe for another 30 years – but starting from when? I wonder with the increased number of tropical storms/hurricanes, and the increased severity of them due to global warming, if that 30-year estimate might be on the high side.
3. The Three Sisters (Eastham, MA)
The Three Sisters set of 22-foot towers are on display on Cable Road. The original 15-foot towers were allowed to fall into the ocean.
4. Highland Light (North Truro, MA)
Highland Light on the Cape Cod National Seashore is the oldest and tallest lighthouse on Cape Cod. Because it was Cape Cod’s first lighthouse, it is also known as Cape Cod Light. The lighthouse was commissioned by George Washington, and was established in 1797. A new brick lighthouse was erected near the original tower in 1831. The present 66-foot-tall brick light tower, keeper’s house, and generator shed replaced the previous structures in 1857.
The following picture was taken closer to the cliff looking back at the Highland Lighthouse. In about the middle (after the bridge) is the rock/boulder that marks the original location of the lighthouse. The established path and viewing platform is in place to keep people off the ground vegetation while checking out the original lighthouse location, and to look out to the ocean without getting too close to the edge/false edge.
Originally the tower was 500 feet from the edge of the 125-foot clay cliff, but over the years, erosion took its toll. By the 1990s the light tower was only 100 feet from the edge. In June 1996, the current Highland Light was SLOWLY raised, set on steel rails/beams, and moved back ever so slowly via hydraulics another 450 feet over a period of 18 days. Relocation was a success. The same company was contracted in late September, to move the Nauset Light back as well. The Nauset Lighthouse move only took two days, and luckily it just barely met the minimum of 30 feet required for such a move!
The keeper’s house has a section where we watched a short video on the history of Highland Light. There were various displays, and of course a gift shop.
This first order Fresnel lens was comprised of 28 sections as shown below. Barry’s hand is present to give a sense of scale. The entire piece stood 12 ft tall, weighed one ton, and rotated in a 600-pound bed of mercury! Its five wick set up powered 192,800 candlepower that was visible twenty miles out. Incredible!
Luckily now the lens/light system does not take up near as much space.
We purchased tickets for a nominal fee to go up into the tower with a guide. It was definitely worth it. The tower is connected with the keeper’s house by an enclosed walkway.
I wonder how many people start to climb the stairs, but it becomes too much for them, or how many come close to getting stuck when they get to the section that is steeper and narrower as you reach the entrance to the lantern room.
The views from this lantern space were amazing. The light house is bordered by a beautiful golf course.
Going down you must turn and back down as you would on any ship ladder, but just till you get to the spiral section. The spiral steps are definitely narrow wedges, so it is imperative you hold the railing. At times I also put my right hand on the outer wall to maintain my equilibrium.
Gift shop:
We explored the Cape Cod National Seashore Park area as we tried to find Race Point Light. Evidently you have to have sand-worthy vehicle and a permit, although we never found the “entry point”.
We found a parking lot with beach access that might lead to Race Point Light. We parked to go explore the beach. We met a local couple there. Barry continued talking with them while I started out for the lighthouse. Barry wasn’t really onboard.
I knew the lighthouse was way in the distance. I didn’t expect to reach the lighthouse, but hoped I’d get close enough for a decent picture with a little zoom help, but I got cut off by water. I wasn’t willing to wade into and be soaked for the rest of the time here. I should have taken the sandbar out from the shore when I first started out, but I thought the shoreline would allow me to go farther. Wrong.
Pilgrims Landing Park
This evidently is the spot where Pilgrims first landed on November 11, 1620.
The breakwater, visible in the background of larger picture above, is the start of the 3-mile walk to Wood End Light. It was disappointing that we would not be able to check out Long Point Light or Wood End Light due to distance, time, and tide schedule. We certainly weren’t up for a 9 mile trek at this point. It is considered a strenuous walk 3 miles one way to reach Wood End Light, and then another 1.5 miles on the sand at low tide to continue to Long Point. Round trip that includes both lighthouses is supposed to take about 4 hours.
We did get a better vantage point from a motel-like place real close to Pilgrim Landing Park.
This short video shows both lighthouses from the same vantage point as the three pictures above. Long Point is the furthest lighthouse out on the curving tip of Cape Cod.
We are so conditioned to see blue on a map as water, but in the map/picture of Cape Cod with all the lighthouse locations below, the BLUE is the LAND!
Into Provincetown
The PILGRIM MONUMENT was built from 1907-1910 with granite sourced from Maine. We walked all the way up to the entrance, to discover the charge was more than we were willing to pay at this point in our day. Pilgrim monument, at a height of 252 feet, towers high above Provincetown and can be seen from many miles away. It appears even taller because it is up on a hill. It is the tallest all-granite monument in the country! The panoramic views from the top are totally unobstructed unless it is by clouds!
Additional sites around the town:
Mayflower Compact Signing Monument
Memorial Stone for the five Mayflower passengers who died while the Mayflower was in the Cape Cod Harbor, and the Universalist Meeting House
Provincetown Town Hall has a park-like setting in the back where the Sons of Provincetown Monument, the Veterans Memorial and the Provincetown Aids Memorial are all located.
The Provincetown Aids Memorial is a unique and definitely caught my eye.
Retail Street scenes
An unexpected find of fun shops that opened out onto the beach!
A unique art alley:
I liked much of the Alice in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass themed collection.
After looking around in a games and puzzles store, we decided it was time to head back to SunResorts at Peters Pond (Sandwich, MA) to get Vinny (& us) ready to leave in the morning. We head to NY. So much still ahead on this epic trip!
