Nauset Light
| Nauset Light | ||
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| Place: | Eastham , Massachusetts , United States | |
| Location: | Massachusetts , United States | |
| Geographical location: | 41 ° 51 '36.5 " N , 69 ° 57' 10.7" W | |
| Fire carrier height : | 48 ft (14.6 m ) | |
| Fire height : | 120 ft (36.6 m ) | |
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| Identifier : | Al.WR.10s | |
| Operating time: | til today | |
| International ordinal number: | J0396 | |
The Nauset Light (also Nauset Beach Light ) is a historic lighthouse in Eastham in the state of Massachusetts in the United States . Its history is closely linked to three lighthouses known as the Three Sisters of Nauset , which are no longer active today.
history
In 1836, 21 residents of Eastham asked the Boston Marine Society to build a lighthouse on Nauset Beach on the Atlantic coast of Cape Cod , as many ships had already crashed there. The new tower was to be placed midway between the Highland Light in North Truro and the twin lighthouses in Chatham . The United States Congress approved on March 3, 1837 funding in the amount of 10,000 US dollars (now about 275,000 US dollars) for the construction of the new lighthouse. In order to distinguish the location of the single light in North Truro and the twin lights in Chatham, it was decided to erect three identical lighthouses on Nauset Beach. The final location was chosen by Naval Officer John Percival .
Three Sisters of Nauset
Within 38 days, Winslow Lewis and a small house built the original three lighthouses, each 15 ft (4.6 m ) high, in 1838 , now known as the Three Sisters of Nauset and on June 15, 1987 under the Number 87001502 has been registered as a construction on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP).
The towers were 150 ft (45.7 m) apart in a straight line. Each octagon designed fire house contained ten lamps with thirteen 0.5 in (12.7 mm ) reflectors that emitted a constant white light. The triplets were not without controversy, and some experts believed that even a single lighthouse, whose light extends eight or ten miles and is sufficiently different from the neighboring lighthouses, also served the desired purpose. In this way one could also save two thirds of the oil used.
In 1856 the lamps and reflectors of the three lighthouses were replaced by sixth order Fresnel lenses , which were replaced by more powerful fourth order lenses in 1873. By 1890, the coast's soil erosion was so advanced that the lighthouses were already standing on the edge of a cliff. In 1892 three new, 22 ft (6.7 m) high towers were built around 30 ft (9.1 m) further west, in which the Fresnel lenses of the old lighthouses were built. In 1911, the erosion was only 8 ft (2.4 m) from the northernmost tower, and the Bureau of Lighthouses decided to reduce it to just one lighthouse at that location.
The Beacon
The Three Sisters were therefore moved further inland and the two outer ones were taken out of service, while the middle of the towers received a white light that produced three flashes of light every ten seconds - in homage to the original three towers - and was known as The Beacon . It went into continuous operation on June 1, 1911. In 1918, the Attleboro- born Cummings family bought the two disused lighthouses for $ 3.50 (around $ 59 today) and moved them two years later to their property near their original location. The Beacon tower was also registered in the NRHP in 1987 under number 87001527.
In 1965 the National Park Service acquired the two lighthouses owned by the Cummings family and in 1967 the third tower. The Three Sisters were brought together again true to the original at their current location around 1,800 ft (548.6 m) from the coast and renovated completely (the middle tower) or partially (the outer towers) in 1989.
Nauset Light Station
In 1923 the remaining lighthouse was in very poor condition. In the meantime, the location at Chatham had also been reduced from two to one lighthouse, so that the tower that was no longer used there could be dismantled and rebuilt in Eastham on a new foundation. The new tower - today's Nauset Light - received the fourth order Fresnel lens of the old lighthouse and was powered by kerosene . The now decommissioned third tower of the Three Sisters was sold to Albert Hall, who had it moved to his property. The Nauset Light was automated in 1955 and got a new look in 1981. The old Fresnel lens is now on display at Cape Cod National Seashore's Salt Pond Visitor Center . In 1987, the Nauset Light was registered in the NRHP under the number 87001484 as part of the Multiple Property Submission Lighthouses of Massachusetts MPS .
The ongoing soil erosion continued to cause problems for the Nauset Light; Between 1991 and 1994 alone, the coastline east of the lighthouse moved 30 ft (9.1 m) towards it, which was due in particular to a strong storm in October 1991. In 1993, the United States Coast Guard announced the abandonment of the lighthouse, which sparked a major public protest that the Nauset Light had become a landmark in the area. In order to preserve the lighthouse, the Nauset Light Preservation Society (NLPS) was founded, which leased the tower from the coast guard for five years in 1995 .
A new location for the lighthouse was found in April 1996, which at the time was only 43 ft (13.1 m) from the cliffs. In the same year the new location was prepared and the International Chimney Corporation from Buffalo , New York was commissioned to relocate the building. The company had previously successfully relocated the Highland Light and Block Island Southeast Light in Rhode Island . The move of the 90-ton Nauset Light to its new location 336 ft (102.4 m) away went smoothly on November 15, 1996.
After renovation work, the lighthouse was put back into operation on May 10, 1997. In 1998 ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to the National Park Service, which some time later passed it on to the Cape Cod National Seashore . In 2004 a partnership agreement was signed between the NPS and the Nauset Light Preservation Society (NLPS). The NLPS will continue to operate the lighthouse as a private navigation aid and is responsible for the maintenance of the tower and its outbuildings.
Architecture and technology
The 48 ft (14.6 m) high Nauset Light is made of cast iron and stands on a concrete foundation . The lighthouse emits an alternating white and red flash of light every 4.9 seconds with a duration of 0.1 seconds, which has a range of 24 nm (44.4 km ) or 20 nm (37 km ).
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k D'Entremont, Jeremy: Nauset Light history - New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide. Retrieved November 17, 2015 (English, 1997-2015).
- ^ Entry Three Sisters of Nauset (Twin Lights) in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed June 22, 2016
- ^ Entry The Beacon in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed June 22, 2016
- ^ Entry Nauset Beach Light in the National Register Information System . National Park Service , accessed June 22, 2016
- ↑ Light List Volume I. (PDF) Department of Homeland Security , United States Coast Guard , 2015, p. 40 , accessed on November 17, 2015 (English).
Web links
- Nauset Beach Lighthouse in the Geographic Names Information System of the United States Geological Survey
