Monomoy Light (Monomoy Point Light), Chatham, Massachusetts
Originally built in 1823, with a new structure (the current tower) buils in 1849.
MONOMOY POINT LIGHT
Location: SOUTHERN END OF SOUTH MONOMOY ISLAND, NEAR CHATHAM, MASSACHUSETTS
Station Established: 1823
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1849
Operational? NO
Automated? N/A
Deactivated: 1923
Foundation Materials: BRICK
Construction Materials: IRON PANELS W/BRICK LINING
Tower Shape: CYLINDRICAL
Markings/Pattern: RED W/BLACK LANTERN
Relationship to Other Structure: SEPERATE
Original Lens: FOURTH ORDER FRESNEL
Historical Information:
* The first lighthouse at Monomoy Point was built in 1823. It was a wooden tower and brick lantern room atop a keeper’s house.
* By 1849 the original lighthouse was replaced with a cast iron brick lined tower. This was one of the first cast iron lighthouses in America. It was painted red in 1882. This helped with daylight visibility.
* The Cape Cod Canal opened in 1914. The Monomoy Point Lighthouse was considered expendable at that point. In 1923 the structure passed into private hands.
* In February 1978, a blizzard cut Monomoy Island into two separate islands. South Monomoy is a wildlife refuge. Today the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manage the station in conjunction with a non-profit group interested in restoring the lighthouse. Some restoration took place in 1988 but much more work is needed.
Researched and written by Melissa Buckler, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.