Chatham Light House

The Chatham Harbor was and still is a dangerous place due to the storms and currents that pass through. Sneaky currents and heavy storms are always causing new breaks to form and sands to shift, leaving most maps less than accurate.

The very first lights in Chatham were twin lights and they were erected in 1808 and made of wood. Each light used 6 oil lamps to for light. In 1841, a set of lights made of brick replaced the wooden ones. Just a few short years later in November of 1870, a storm broke through barrier beaches casuing the erosion process to begin.

Due to erosion, in 1879 the South Tower toppled over the bank where the lights sat and the North Tower was moved to its current location. In 1939, the Coast Guard assumed all duties of the Chatham Light and transformed the lightkeepr's house into the Chatham Coast Guard Station, which patrols the waters of Nantucket Sound from Wellfeet to West Yarmouth.

The lighthouse currently sits 80 feet above sea level and has 2 flashes every ten seconds so mariners are aware of their location.