Chatham Massachusetts
HL 462 4x6" Open edition

In Stock.

When Chatham Light was first built on Cape Cod in 1808, it was actually twin lighthouses, in an effort to distinguish the new beacon from nearby Highland Light. The first sentinels were 40 feet high and set 70 feet apart. They were built of wood, with a small dwelling for keepers.

In 1841, 40-foot brick towers, built further inland from the rapidly eroding cliff, replaced the wooden towers. In 1857, the twins received fourth order Fresnel lenses, each showing a fixed white light. Before a 1870 winter storm, Chatham Lights stood 228 feet from the edge of a 50-foot bluff. After that storm and nine more years of erosion, the south tower teetered 27 inches from falling and fishermen were placing bets on when it would happen. On December 15, the south tower fell to the beach below.

Fortunately, the lens had been removed two years earlier and placed in a third set of Chatham Lights. These towers were built of iron plates lined with brick. In 1923, the north light was moved to Nauset Beach to replace the Three Sisters. This ended 115 years of twin Chatham lighthouses. In 1982, Chatham Light was automated and remains an active aid to navigation.

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