Nauset Light

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Nauset Light

(Eastham, Massachusetts)

Previous lights:

Recognizing that a lighthouse was needed between Highland (Cape Cod) Light to the north and Chatham’s twin lighthouse to the south, local residents of Eastham, Massachusetts petitioned for a lighthouse. They were successful and in 1837 the government established a light station at Nauset Beach.

The interesting aspect of this light station was that it consisted of three lighthouse towers. Each was a 15-foot brick tower (placing the light at 97 feet above sea level) and they were spaced 150 feet apart. Multiple lights had been used at other places to differentiate a specific lighthouse station, such as the twin lights used a Chatham, but this was the first and only triple lighthouse in U.S. history. They became known as the “Three Sisters of Nauset”. The three sisters of Nauset were fitted with sixth order Fresnel lenses in 1856 that were upgraded to fourth order Fresnel lenses in 1873.

As today, land erosion plagued the lighthouses and in 1892, three 22-foot wooden towers were built farther back to replace the brick ones. Land erosion continued and in 1911 the cliff had eroded to within eight feet of the northern tower. It was at this time that a decision was made to change the Nauset light station to utilize only a single beacon. The center lighthouse was moved back away from the cliff and given a flashing light that flashed three times in ten seconds – a tribute to the Three Sisters. The other two lights were sold to a private owner. The single sister remained until 1923 when it too was replaced by a new lighthouse structure and sold to a private owner.

Today, the National Park Service has purchased back the Three Sisters towers and has placed them in their original configuration on Cable road close to the existing Nauset Light. Restoration was completed in 1989 and is now open to the public.

Current Light:

In 1923, it was decided to extinguish one of the twin lights at Chatham to make it a single light station. The northern tower that had been built in 1877 was dismantled and moved to Eastham to become the new lighthouse at Nauset Beach, replacing the aging wooden tower. It was placed 200 feet from the edge of the cliff. The lighthouse was made of cast iron with a brick lining and stood 48 feet tall.

In 1940 the top half of the lighthouse was painted red. It was automated in 1955 and the Fresnel lens replaced by a modern aerobeacon in 1981. Its characteristic was also changed to alternating red and white flashes. The old Fresnel lens is on display at the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center in Eastham.

Continued land erosion again put the Nauset Light in jeopardy. The U.S. Coast Guard had considered decommissioning the light in 1993 but a flood of letters requesting that the lighthouse instead be moved changed their minds. The Nauset Light Preservation Society was formed and on April 17, 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard granted them a 5-year lease. A new site was selected and on November 16, 1996 the move began. At this time the tower was only 35 feet from the edge of the cliff. The move went flawlessly and is now located 336 feet from its old site. The tower was relit on May 10, 1997 as a private aid to navigation. On October 27, 1998 the house was moved to a new foundation near the lighthouse.

How to get there: Follow Route 6 to Bracket Road (third traffic signal from Eastham/Orleans rotary). 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 to parking lot. Walk along path to Nauset Light.

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