| Race Point Light |
Provincetown, MA
Est. 1816, present tower built 1876
45 feet tall.
Before the construction of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914, every vessel traveling between Boston and points south had to negotiate the treacherous bars near Race Point at the northern tip of Cape Cod.
Jeremy's Lighthouse Guide #5
In an effort to provide safer navigation, Race Point Lighthouse was first lighted in 1816. In 1876 a 45-foot cast-iron lighthouse, lined with brick, replaced the original stone tower.
The keepers’ children had to walk two and a half miles across soft sand to school each day. In the 1930s a keeper named James Hinckley made the trip much quicker by customizing a Ford into an early dune buggy.
In 1960 a large Gothic Revival keeper's house was torn down and the other house was modernized. The light was automated in 1972, and the surviving keeper's house remained boarded up and forlorn for more than 20 years after the Coast Guard left the site.
In 1995 the light station was leased to the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF). The foundation’s Cape Cod chapter has beautifully restored the buildings largely through volunteer help and in-kind donations. The five-bedroom keeper's house is open for overnight stays. This has to be one of the most remarkable comeback stories of any historic property in New England.
The automated light is still active aid and is maintained by the Coast Guard. For reservations to stay in the keeper’s house at Race Point call (508) 487-9930. Also check out the official website .
For a detailed HISTORY
and more see Lighthouse.cc
Copyright 2004 by Jeremy D'Entremont, New England Lighthouses
Photos are the property of the author and may not be used without permission.
Photos above from Jeremy D'Entremont.
SEE: Sister Race Point's light in Seacoast, NH