Nauset Beach Light

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Nauset Beach Light
Photo by Jeremy D'Entremont, www.lighthouse.cc
Constructed in 1877, the present tower at Nauset Beach Light Station (also known as Nauset Light) was moved from Chatham, Massachusetts, to Eastham in 1923. The 47-foot tall, cylindrical, cast-iron tower originally served as one of the twin towers of Chatham Light Station. The last functioning tower of the Three Sisters of Nauset Light Station in Eastham was also discontinued at this time and replaced by the current Nauset Beach Light Station. Keepers of Nauset Beach Light occupied the original one-and-one-half story keeper's house (1875) used by the keepers of Three Sisters of Nauset Light Station and also used the oil house (1892), both of which are still standing.

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Historic postcard of Chatham Light Station in 1905, before one of the towers was moved to Eastham to serve as Nauset Light
Courtesy of Division of Industry, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution

Nauset Beach Light was automated in 1955. The keeper's dwelling passed into private hands at this time although the U.S. Coast Guard continued operating the light as an active aid to navigation. In 1981, modern aerobeacons replaced the fourth-order Fresnel lens, which is currently displayed at Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center in Eastham. On April 17, 1995, the U.S. Coast Guard leased the tower to the Nauset Light Preservation Society. Nauset Beach Light stood only 35 feet from the edge of the eroding bluff in 1996. A combination of Federal grants and funds raised by the Nauset Light Preservation Society helped move the 90-ton tower to its new location some 336 feet from the old site. On May 10, 1997, Nauset Light was relit as a private aid to navigation. (It had been decommissioned by the U.S. Coast Guard before the move.) The keeper's house was moved to a new foundation near the lighthouse on October 27, 1998, and the oil house and tower were renovated. Nauset Beach Light Station continues to operate as a private aid to navigation and the Nauset Light Preservation Society occasionally opens it to the public.

Nauset Light Station is located on Nauset Beach off Cable Rd., within Cape Cod National Seashore, in Eastham. Nauset Light Station is easily accessible by car and parking is available in the Nauset Light Beach parking area. The grounds are open daily and the Nauset Light Preservation Society provides public tours of the light station from spring through fall. Visit Nauset Light's website for further information.

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