b'BRANT POINT LIGHT,NAUSET LIGHT, EASTHAM, NANTUCKET, MA (MAP: #21) MA (MAP: #5)The whaling business on Nantucket wasIf youve eaten a bag of Cape Cod Potato Chips booming by the middle of the 1700s, and arecently, youve seen this lighthouse. Its also on lighthouse to lead sailors safely back into Nan- the special Cape & Islands license plate for MA. tuckets inner harbor was desperately needed.Nauset Light is a Cape Cod Icon with a fascinat-Interestingly, this is a lighthouse with manyIMAGE CREDIT: CAPE COD MARITIMEing history, too. A necessary navigational aid for lives (literally 9 lives): the first lighthouseMUSEUM COLLECTION mariners navigating the dangerous waters on burned down in 1757. The next lighthouse wasGay Head Light, souvenir postcard.the outer side of the Cape, Nauset light was orig-destroyed in a storm in March of 1774, the thirdinally three lighthouses, dubbed the Three Sis-lighthouse burned down again in 1783, theters of Nauset. The three towers were rebuilt in fourth lighthouse burned in 1786, the fifth1892 after erosion threatened to dump the origi-lighthouse was destroyed by a storm, and thenal sisters into the water, and by 1911, when the sixth was built in 1788. Lighthouse numbercliffside kept eroding, it was decided to change seven was built in 1825, number eight built inthe station to a single lighthouse. The remaining 1856, and number nine built in 1901 - due totwo sisters were sold to a private owner. During shifting sands in the channel, lighthouse num- the 1960s and 70s, the National Park Service pur-ber 9 was built nearly 600 feet east of the pre- chased the 1892 sisters from their private own-IMAGE CREDIT: A TRIP TO CAPE COD, 1898, vious iterations. The eighth version still stands,COURTESY OF JEREMY DENTREMONT ers and opened a new site with the newly though, and is visible from Easton Street onEdgartown Light, circa 1898. restored lighthouses in 1989. The current light-the island, and is now part of the Coast Guardhouse is not any of the sisters, but was one of Station Brant Point.two lighthouses from Chatham Light Station, transported to Eastham in 1923. When erosion BISHOP AND CLERKS,yet again threatened the lighthouse in the 1990s, HYANNIS, MA (#12 ON MAP) it was decided to move the lighthouse across the Bishop and Clerks is a large boulder (theroad from its original location, with the keepers bishop), and several smaller rocks (thehouse following to the new location in 1998. clerks), that lie on a rocky ledge two-and-a- Theres a good chance you will see a few of half miles south of Yarmouth in the waters ofthese lights on your journey aboard a Hy-Line Nantucket Sound. This spot has posed a haz- vessel - especially Brant Point Light as you come ard to mariners for centuries. In the earlyinto Nantucket Harbor, and Bishop and Clerks in 1800s, as shipping traffic increased dramati- IMAGE CREDIT: WIKIMEDIA COMMONS the distance a few minutes before arriving or cally, many shipsalong with their cargo andEdgartown Light today.after departing Hyannis Harbor, and Point Gam-sometimes, human liveswere lost as theymon if you look really close towards Great Island, tried to approach Lewis Bay and the busythe spit of land on the eastern side of Lewis Bay port of Hyannis Harbor. In 1858, an offshore(Yarmouth, MA) when arriving or departing lighthouse was built on the ledge itself.Hyannis Harbor. A few other lighthouses visible Granite blocks were cut on shore, then fer- from Hy-Line vessels include Hyannis Harbor ried out to the site. When completed, theLight, Great Point Lighthouse on Nantucket. If tower stood 65 feet tall. With the building ofyoure on the Marthas Vineyard ferry, you will be the Cape Cod Canal in 1914, many boatsable to see West Chop Light, East Chop Light, were bypassing Bishop and Clerks alto- and possibly the Edgartown Lighthouse. gether. The lighthouse was finally deacti- As we admire these beautiful structures, its vated in 1928. The structure continued toimportant to also recognize the importance of deteriorate until the Coast Guard implodedpreserving and protecting them. Many of the the light in 1952 for safety reasons. While nolighthouses of Cape Cod are managed by non-longer a lighthouse, an automated beaconprofit organizations dedicated to preserving now sits on the granite base, and it is still athem. These organizations typically rely on popular landmark for locals in Hyannisport,donations, grants, and volunteer efforts to Hyannis, and Yarmouth. maintain and restore these structures, ensur-ing that they remain standing for future gener-POINT GAMMON, YARMOUTH,IMAGE CREDIT: UNSPLASH ations to appreciate and enjoy. Visit these MA (MAP: #10) Brant Point Lighthouse today.lighthouses to help keep that history alive and Sitting on the eastern side of the entrance tohelp the local community and economy!Lewis Bay and Hyannis Harbor, visible to Hy-LineThe lighthouses of Cape Cod stand not only as passengers during good weather, is Point Gammonbeacons of maritime safety but also as enduring Light. Originally placed at the entrance to Lewissymbols of the regions rich history and cultural Bay for mariners to navigate around the dangerousheritage. From the iconic silhouette of the High-underwater ledges of Bishop and Clerks, this light- land Light to the picturesque charm of Nauset house was discontinued once the lighthouse atLight, each lighthouse tells a story of resilience, Bishop and Clerks was built. After Great Island wasinnovation, and the indomitable spirit of those sold to a wealthy Boston-based ornithologist inIMAGE CREDIT: U.S. COAST GUARD who have called Cape Cod home. The light-1882, the lighthouse was used as a viewing plat- Brant Point Lighthouse tower eight, builthouses of Cape Cod offer a glimpse into a world form. Great Island is closed to the public, so the1856. This tower still stands and is now partthat has been shaped by the sea, and the cour-lighthouse is best seen from the ferry.of Coast Guard Station Brant Point.age and determination of mariners. This is Hy-Line 15'