The Chatham Light - Cape Cod - TravBuddy

Located on the southeast corner of Cape Cod, Chatham has had six lights in the area of its present one. The first Chatham lighthouse was built in 1808. It consisted of two wooden towers and a light keepers house. The two towers distinguished it from other lighthouses which was a problem in the early days before light technology advanced to distinctive flashes. The wooden towers were replaced with brick structures in 1841.

A break in the offshore sandbar by a severe storm in 1870 caused severe erosion putting those towers in danger. In 1877 the present tower and its twin were built - further back from the water. The two brick towers fell over the cliff in 1879 and 1881.

In 1923, rotating lights replaced fixed lights and the north tower was moved to Eastham where it serves as the Nauset Light. Electric lights replaced the use of liquid fuels in 1939. The Chatham Light is built of cast iron with a brick interior, stands 42 feet tall, and its light is 80 feet above the water. Its signal is two white lights every ten seconds.