When it was built in 1797, the Highland Light (or Cape Cod Light) in Truro was more than 500 feet from the cliff. When it was rebuilt in 1853 it was to better serve the more than 1,200 ships per fortnight that sailed past. But by 1996, the hungry sea had devoured enough coastline to bring the lighthouse to within...

Time, tides and erosion wait for nothing…. Strong currents and dangerous shoals necessitated a light to guide heavy maritime traffic safely around these waters in the 19th century. So Chatham Light (in Chatham) was built in 1808 and outfitted with two 40-foot towers set 70 feet apart. By 1841 the towers had to be replaced with two 30-foot towers; a...

Primo Chatham beaches include Lighthouse Beach and South Beach, below the lighthouse on Shore Road and on the Atlantic Ocean. Parking is limited to 30 minutes, but you can bicycle or walk to the lane off Morris Island Road just beyond the lighthouse; a sign points the way to South Beach. It’s a bit of a walk, but try parking on...

A handful of lighthouses have been moved around the Cape like castles on a chess board for the past few hundred years. Nauset Light in Eastham is one of them. It was one of a set of twin lights, built of cast iron with a brick lining in Chatham in 1877. In 1923, the 48-foot tower was moved to Eastham...

Nobska Light in Woods Hole is built of cast iron with a brick lining and with a light that reaches 17 miles through the gloom of night. It’s perched on a soaring bluff that offers fabulous views for sunsets, the Elizabeth Islands, Martha’s Vineyard, and peering into the eponymous “hole” of Woods Hole. Built in 1828 as a Cape structure...