National Register of Historic Places

Monomoy Point Lighthouse

Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts
Listed
November 1, 1979
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
79000324

About this property

Monomoy Point Light is a historic light in Chatham, Massachusetts. The station was established in 1823. The first light was a wood tower and brick lantern room on top of the keeper's house. The current tower, one of the first made of cast iron, was built in 1849. After the opening of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914, most vessels bound from south of the Cape to the Boston area took the shorter and safer route through the canal, so there was much less traffic past the light and the light was deactivated in 1923. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Monomoy Point Lighthouse on November 1, 1979, reference number 79000324. The keeper's house is preserved and serves today as a base for wildlife management efforts. The Lighthouse Preservation Society, the Massachusetts Audubon Society, and The Friends of Monomoy have supported the past efforts in preservation of the lighthouse and keeper's house. It lies within the Monomoy Wilderness as part of Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge. While the inside of lighthouse and the keeper's house are not open to the public, there is public access to and from the shoreline. The house is supposedly haunted, with several claims of seeing a light inside the house after dark from passing boats. The trail that leads to the lighthouse and the keeper's house is only accessible by boat.

Location

Chatham, Barnstable County, Massachusetts
41.55957, -69.99362

Categories

ENGINEERINGTRANSPORTATIONEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENT
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Chatham Light Station
Industrial
7.7 mi
Brandeis, Louis, House
Industrial
7.9 mi
Old Village Historic District
Colonial
8.2 mi
Chatham Windmill
Industrial
8.3 mi
Half Way House
Industrial
8.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was Monomoy Point Lighthouse listed on the National Register?

Monomoy Point Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on November 1, 1979.

What type of historic resource is Monomoy Point Lighthouse?

Monomoy Point Lighthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Monomoy Point Lighthouse?

The period of significance for Monomoy Point Lighthouse is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Monomoy Point Lighthouse?

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