Lighthouses
are as much a part of Cape Cod’s history and allure as its miles of
beaches, quaint villages, and fabulous shops. There are eighteen
lighthouses on Cape Cod. Some of them are more universally known,
such as Chatham Light, Nauset Light, Race Point Light, Highland
Light, and Nobska Light. There are a few lesser known like Cleveland
Ledge Light, Wings Neck Light, and Point Gammon Light, yet all of the
structures have one common thread, they are located on the water.
However there are three lighthouses in Eastham that are not even
within sight of water. In fact they sit quietly in a field on Cable
Road more than 1,800-feet from the ocean. These are the Three
Sisters of Nauset and their story is one of the most fascinating in
Cape Cod history. It is a story that is still going on to this day.
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| The Three Sisters at the turn of the 20th century. Eastham Historical Society |
The
history of these structures begins nearly 200-years ago when the Town
of Eastham petitioned to have a beacon built along the shore to
protect passing vessels after there had been so many shipwrecks. The
proposal was approved in 1836. However instead of there being one
lighthouse it was decided that there would be three. The reason for
the three was to help vessels differentiate the Eastham lights from
the single Highland Light to the north in Truro, and the twin lights
of Chatham to the south. The idea of the three lights was that of
Captain ‘Mad Jack’ Percival.
The
fifteen-foot tall brick structures, placed 150-feet apart, were
constructed by local builder Winslow Lewis and his team who had put
in the lowest bid of $6,549 ($180,500 in 2020) on May 26, 1838. The
towers took only 38 days to complete. Legend has it that the
construction and layout was rushed and careless with the construction
supervisor David Bryant even initially refusing to sign the
completion certificate. The three beacons were seen as being too
much at the site, even being referred to as ‘shiftless and costly’
by legendary author Henry David Thoreau upon a visit.
Originally
referred to as ‘the line lights’ by passing vessels the three
towers soon gained the ‘Three Sisters’ nickname. Legend has it
that vessels passing by remarked that they resembled three ladies in
white dresses wearing black hats. The lighthouses did their job for
decades until shoreline erosion threatened them. Today when a
lighthouse is threatened measures are taken to save them by moving
them safely away from the eroding cliffs. In the late 1800’s
though the three brick towers were simply allowed to succumb to
nature and fall into the sea. They were replaced in 1892 by three
new ‘Sisters’ standing twenty-two feet tall still 150-feet apart.
These new wooden towers with brick foundations were positioned
thirty-feet back from where the original towers had fallen. These
towers were easier to move back from the cliffs if necessary.
The
relentless hand of nature continued to eat away at the cliffs of
present day Nauset Light Beach. It was decided in 1911 that the
Three Sisters would be decommissioned as the shoreline had eroded to
the point that it was within eight-yards of the north tower. Only
the center tower would remain as a solo beacon attached to the
lighthouse keeper’s house.
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| The Towers Eastham Historical Society |
The
two discontinued lights, minus their lanterns, were sold to Patrick
and Helen Cummings of Attleboro in 1918 for $3.50 each ($59.43 in
2020). The couple had visited Eastham via automobile while the Three
Sisters were still hovering above the eroding cliffs. They were
approached by a man at the beach and ironically were offered a cabin,
stable, and roughly 20 acres of land in exchange for their vehicle.
After
making the deal the pair of lighthouses needed to be removed from the
cliffs within ten days. In order to make it work the Cummings’ had
them moved via oxen and rollers to a site near the old French Cable
Station in Orleans. The Cummings family spent a pair of summers in
those towers before finally having them moved to Cable Road in
Eastham in 1920 where the 26x28-foot dwelling they had purchased sat.
The former Sisters became bedrooms on either side of the home. The
summer home became known as the ‘The Towers.’
The
career of the remaining Sister along the shore was short-lived. By
1923 it had also fallen into disrepair. Rather than fixing it up it
was decided that it would be decommissioned and replaced. It was
sold to Albert Hall of Hyannis at auction in 1924 for $.50 ($7.50 in
2020) and turned into a cottage much like the other two Sisters. His
was known as ‘The Beacon.’
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| The reunited Three Sisters facing north. Christopher Setterlund |
A
perfect substitute to take the reins of protecting Eastham’s
coastal waters sat thirteen miles to the south in Chatham. It was
there at the Coast Guard Station where another recently
decommissioned lighthouse, one of the Chatham Twin Lights, resided.
The forty-eight foot tall cast iron tower was moved to Eastham and
the top third was painted red. Nauset Lighthouse was born.
The
Towers summer home began to allow renters after the 1932 season. In
time it also had a gift shop and a dance studio. The Cummings family
sold the property to James Kingsland who in turn sold it to the
National Park Service in 1965. Ten years later, in 1975 the Beacon
was sold to the NPS by Albert Hall’s son Harold. A $510,000
restoration of the three lighthouses was completed in 1989. In 1990
the Three Sisters were reunited for the first time in nearly 80 years
on Cable Road. They were placed in the same order and spacing as
they once were overlooking the Atlantic Ocean.
In
recent years a ghost of the original Three Sisters reappeared. It
was just off of Nauset Light Beach that a circular brick foundation
was unearthed by the waves. When the tide is low enough one can walk
right out and touch it. The foundation was likely that of the center
Sister that became the ‘Beacon.’ It was
not the first time though that the foundation has been exposed by the
elements as it was also exposed
in 1999.
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| The foundation of the center Sister in 1999. National Parks Service |
Lighthouses
are a part of the fabric of Cape Cod and have been for centuries.
Some have simple stories, some have complex stories, it is likely
though that none have a story as unique as that of the Three Sisters.
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My 5th book, Cape Cod Nights, is on sale at Amazon.com and through Arcadia PublishingView my previous blog posts: In Their Footsteps: Cape Cod History - The Pacific Guano Company
Be sure to check out my website: Christopher Setterlund.com
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