Cape Cod Lighthouses

June 24, 2011.

I. L.O.V.E. Lighthouses.  They are beautiful, architectural marvels, and withstand the test of time. I have seen more lighthouses than I think I can count.  Okay, who am I kidding, you guys know I am a dorky archiving type of person, so I actually probably COULD count them all.  Anyhow, it suffices to say that we have visited a lot during our vacations.

Here are the lighthouses we saw while we were on our trip.  They are in no particular order (unless noted) and we really didn't go out of our way to visit any, since we have been to all of these before.  These lights just came into our journey randomly as we were visiting different areas.

Borden Flats

1.  Borden Flats Fall River, MA.  Not a lot to this light.  This was seen from I-195, and it is quite visible from the river bank in Fall River.  The only reason worth noting this light really, is that it is situated in the hometown of famed chef Emeril Lagasse. Yay.

Brant Point

Brant Point

2.  Brant Point Nantucket, MA.  I love this light.  One of these shots is now the background on our computer.  To me this 26 foot light symbolizes so much more than just a safe-harbor for ships.  It is a really quick (10 minutes max) walk from Nantucket town center, so again it is easily visible from various points in the harbor (including the the transportation vessel bringing you to the island).  Check out my previous post on Nantucket HERE. This light has its 110 year anniversary this year (1901).

Highland (Truro)

3.  Highland Truro, MA.  This 35 foot light was recently moved further back, away from the ever receding cliffs in Truro (the main reason the lighthouse is there in the first place- the cliffs are some 150 feet high!).  They have built this cool new observation deck since the last time we visited, and I am sure it is a lovely place to sit and 'take it all in.'  This light is located in the Cape Cod National Seashore (check out my previous post HERE). This light was built in 1797 and it was more than 500 feet from the cliff ledge, but by the late 1990s it was a mere 100 feet from the ledge.  This is just one example of how quickly the cliffs are eroding. 

Lewis Bay

4. Lewis Bay Hyannis Port, MA.  This light is not to be confused with Brant Point Light.  They look exactly the same, on purpose. It is also not to be confused with South Hyannis Light either. The family that privately commissioned Lewis Bay purposefully had it built as an exact replica of Brant Point light.  It sits in the harbor of Hyannis Port and can easily be seen from various passenger vessels departing for Nantucket, as well as returning from the island.  I took this shot on a whim as we were leaving the harbor.

Race Point

5.  Race Point Provincetown, MA.  This light is also located in the Cape Cod National Seashore.  It is a bit of a beach walk to get to it, but assuming you have a decent zoom lens, you can see it from Herring Cove Beach (and you don't have to hike all the way to the light, unless you just want to).  This light is really cool- you can get reservations to stay overnight in the keeper's house (it is a functioning lighthouse) or the Whistle House, which we totally intend to add to our "to do" list for the future!

Wood End

6.  Wood End Provincetown, MA.  This light is out a ridiculously long jetty (read more HERE), but the walk to the light is doable, just make sure to check the high and low tide time tables.  It is located on the northwest end of the town.

7.  Tarrytown Sleepy Hollow, NY.  Unfortunately I didn't catch a shot of this light, but we will stop again whenever we are up north again.  We decided to take the Tappan Zee bridge rather than fighting the NYC traffic at 4 pm on a Friday.  Once we started crossing the very large bridge, I looked to my right, and what did I see?  This sweet little light, in the sweet little town on Sleepy Hollow!  How cool?!  Well, I hadn't read in my lighthouse book about this particular area of the Hudson River, so I wasn't expecting the light!  What a nice little surprise! HERE is a link to a picture of the light (I don't take pictures from other folks' sites!).

A few last reference things:
Here are a few websites that are pretty reputable for lighthouses if you are interested in reading about lighthouses in your area or an area you are planning on visiting.  Most lighthouses are pretty cool and you can climb a lot of different lights, which affords a nice view of the town you happen to be visiting (Highland light for instance allows this).  Click the links below to investigate the sites further.

Lighthouse Directory
A Virtual Guide to New England Lighthouses
U.S. Lighthouses

Also, any Google search should yield good results if you type in the state or region you plan on visiting (ex. Cape Cod Lighthouses).

I have also been asked several times what books I use when researching for trips, so here are a couple books I would recommend, specifically for lighthouses.  I use two interchangeably, as neither has 100% what I would like to see in a reference guide to lighthouses, and I figure two is better than one, right?
1.  American Lighthouses: A Definitive Guide (we have already determined that it isn't definitive, right?), 2nd Edition. By- Bruce Roberts and Ray Jones. (ISBN: 0-7627-2269-X)
2.  Lighthouse Spotter's Guide.  By- Michael J. Rhein (ISBN: 1-59223-347-3)

Be Blessed.