MikeThree Sisters Lighthouses, Eastham, MA, 7/9/2023. The current location of these lighthouses is in a wooded area behind Nauset Beach, away from the water but a short walk from where Nauset Light currently stands and is still illuminated. But they used to sit atop the bluffs of Nauset Beach. The ground on which sat no longer exists: that land had long ago eroded and fell into the sea.
These lighthouses have an interesting history, which I won’t go into in great detail here: I recommend reading the more detailed history at lighthousefriends.com. Here’s the condensed version:
The original three lights were first lit in 1839. No one seems to know why three lights were needed, which I find hilarious. They were replaced in 1892 with these three towers. Two of those towers were damaged in a storm in 1898. In 1918 those two towers were auctioned off for $3.50: the buyer relocated them nearby and made them part of a summer cottage. The remaining tower was replaced in 1923 by one of the twin cast iron lighthouses in Chatham (now the current Nauset Light) and was likewise auctioned off and turned into a summer cottage. The National Park Service later acquired all three lighthouses and in 1983 placed them in their current location at the Cape Cod National Seashore.
While I’m grateful these lighthouses have been preserved and are very accessible to the public, to me it is sad to think of a lighthouse cut off from the water. So when I visit these lighthouses, it is a melancholy experience.
#threesisterslighthouses #capecodnationalseashore #lighthouse #phare #faro #leuchtturm #灯台 #todai #newengland #massachusetts #capecod #eastham #nausetbeach
These lighthouses have an interesting history, which I won’t go into in great detail here: I recommend reading the more detailed history at lighthousefriends.com. Here’s the condensed version:
The original three lights were first lit in 1839. No one seems to know why three lights were needed, which I find hilarious. They were replaced in 1892 with these three towers. Two of those towers were damaged in a storm in 1898. In 1918 those two towers were auctioned off for $3.50: the buyer relocated them nearby and made them part of a summer cottage. The remaining tower was replaced in 1923 by one of the twin cast iron lighthouses in Chatham (now the current Nauset Light) and was likewise auctioned off and turned into a summer cottage. The National Park Service later acquired all three lighthouses and in 1983 placed them in their current location at the Cape Cod National Seashore.
While I’m grateful these lighthouses have been preserved and are very accessible to the public, to me it is sad to think of a lighthouse cut off from the water. So when I visit these lighthouses, it is a melancholy experience.
#threesisterslighthouses #capecodnationalseashore #lighthouse #phare #faro #leuchtturm #灯台 #todai #newengland #massachusetts #capecod #eastham #nausetbeach
