Race Point Light
Encyclopedia
Race Point Light is a historic lighthouse
on Cape Cod
, Massachusetts
. It was first established in 1816, the third light on Cape Cod (after Highland Light, 1797, and Chatham Light
, 1808), a rubblestone tower with one of the first rotating beacons. In 1858 the light got a fourth order Fresnel lens
and, in 1874, a second keeper's quarters. In 1875, after significant deterioration of the original tower, it was replaced with an iron tower lined with brick. The original keeper's house was rebuilt as part of the project. The station was electrified in 1957. The larger keeper's house was removed in 1960 and the other was updated.
The station has been restored by the Cape Cod Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation and both the keeper's house and the whistle house are available for vacation rental.
Race Point Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Race Point Light Station on June 15, 1987, reference number 87001482.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
on Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. It was first established in 1816, the third light on Cape Cod (after Highland Light, 1797, and Chatham Light
Chatham Light
Chatham Lighthouse, known as Twin Lights prior to 1923, is a lighthouse in Chatham, Massachusetts, near the "elbow" of Cape Cod.The station was established in 1808, the second light on Cape Cod. To distinguish it from Highland Light, the first Cape Cod light, and to act as a range, twin octagonal...
, 1808), a rubblestone tower with one of the first rotating beacons. In 1858 the light got a fourth order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
and, in 1874, a second keeper's quarters. In 1875, after significant deterioration of the original tower, it was replaced with an iron tower lined with brick. The original keeper's house was rebuilt as part of the project. The station was electrified in 1957. The larger keeper's house was removed in 1960 and the other was updated.
The station has been restored by the Cape Cod Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation and both the keeper's house and the whistle house are available for vacation rental.
Race Point Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Race Point Light Station on June 15, 1987, reference number 87001482.
Gallery
See also
- Cape Cod National SeashoreCape Cod National SeashoreThe Cape Cod National Seashore , created on August 7, 1961 by President John F. Kennedy, encompasses on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. It includes ponds, woods and beachfront of the Atlantic coastal pine barrens ecoregion...
- Race Point Light Station, featured in Maritime History of Massachusetts — A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary
- Race Point Lighthouse.Net