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Company
Nauset Concepts, LLC is an aggressive, leading-edge start-up company headquartered in Houston , Texas . Nauset Concepts was founded and is operated under tenets of perpetual business innovation, technological advancement and good works. Nauset Concepts holds strongly to its mission and philosophy: exceptional service; unparalleled dedication to its clients and causes; team commitment and empowerment; industry leadership; and advanced design, development, deployment and delivery of technologies. (2) Outline of Principal Operations (3) Philosophy & Mission (4) The Team (a) Executive Management (b) Board of Directors (c) Board of Advisors (5) History (a) The Company (b) The Lighthouses (i) Nauset Light 1. History 2. Visit: http://www.nausetlight.org/NLtours.htm 3. Giving: http://www.nausetlight.org (ii) Race Point Light 1. History 2. Visit: http://www.racepointlighthouse.net/ 3. Giving: http://www.racepointlighthouse.net/ (iii) 1. History 2. Visit: http://trurohistorical.org/directions.htm 3. Giving: http://trurohistorical.org/ (iv) Monomoy Point Light 1. History 2. Visit: http://monomoy.fws.gov/monomap.html 3. Giving: http://www.friendsofmonomoy.org/ (v) Pharos, Lighthouse at 1. History
Nauset Concepts, LLC is an
aggressive, leading-edge start-up company headquartered in
(2) Outline of Principal Operations (3) Philosophy & Mission (4) The Team (a) Executive Management (b) Board of Directors (c) Board of Advisors (5) History (a) The Company
Nauset Concepts, LLC is an
aggressive, leading-edge start-up company headquartered in
Nauset Concepts, LLC began as a
seed of an idea on
In late 2002, Nauset
Biotechnology Group became NausetBIO, or Nauset Business Innovations and
Outsourcing, and merged with the young software and internet design outfit
Stratus Designs, then based in
Nauset Concepts, LLC began the
early stages of technology development in 2003, and deployed an aggressive
development timeline to harness the many anticipated capabilities and utilities
of the Nauset Concepts Technology Platform (NCTP). The NCTP draws on the
Company’s philosophy of universality, and will revolutionize software, and
ultimately all, technologies in the future. The NCTP begins as a limitless
repository for information that grows and self-optimizes, stores and accesses,
and creates in ways analogous to the human brain. Based on training and
understanding of the Neurosciences, Molecular and Cellular Sciences, Computer
Sciences, and Social Sciences, the Nauset Concepts, LLC team began design and
construction of the NCTP.
Nauset Concepts, LLC chose the
legal industry as its initial entry market, and has enjoyed unprecedented
success and growth in the industry. Race Point Legal was formed to manage Nauset
Concepts’ clients and interests in the legal arena, and develops its own
products and services. Independent technologies were built as the initial
incarnations of the NCTP in the legal industry, and the OnPoint Law Office &
Litigation Suite, DISCOVEReASE Protocol for digital discovery, and the Mobile
War Room were all pre-released in fully supported live test environments. As
Nauset Concepts continued to grow and expand into new industries in 2004,
Highland Politics & Policy and Monomoy Multimedia were formed. Highland
P&P was quite active throughout the 2004 election cycle, including for
high-profile national and state level clients. The surging capacity of Nauset
Concepts, LLC in multimedia content, software and hardware technologies
ultimately required the organization of Monomoy Multimedia, an outgrowth of
early efforts of Stratus Designs, now under the burgeoning auspices of Nauset
Concepts, LLC. Monomoy Multimedia, just as the other divisions do, enjoys the
oversight, resources and mission of Nauset Concepts, LLC. These technologies are
based on or integrated tightly with the NCTP, and Monomoy provides its
leading-edge services and support to the other Nauset Concepts, LLC divisions.
Corporate structure was further organized to accommodate for immediately
anticipated growth, with particular attention paid to the cooperative
independence enjoyed by each of the Company’s divisions.
Late in 2004, Nauset Concepts
organized a non-profit division, Pharos Philanthropy, to coordinate its good
works, pro bono and in-kind efforts. Philanthropic, charitable and conservancy
efforts are critical to the Nauset Concepts, LLC philosophy, and the Company
works actively for a wide array of causes. This commitment to the community at
all levels owes not to corporate public image demands but to the very real and
genuine dedication on the part of Nauset Concepts, LLC principals. The year also
enjoyed the opening of Nauset Concepts’ first regional operations satellite
office, Nauset Concepts New England, on
At the end of the first quarter
in 2005, Nauset Concepts expanded its corporate headquarters. By doubling its
operational space, Nauset Concepts is situated to accommodate growth, in terms
of personnel, markets and industries, projects and more. The technology asset
acquisition plan continues to increase the repertoire of Nauset Concepts, LLC
divisions, and the continued development of the NCTP.
In 2005, Nauset Concepts, LLC
and its subsidiaries and divisions anticipate continued exponential growth.
Further efforts will be made, stronger strategic partnerships forged, more
customers acquired, and new products and services released in all of Nauset
Concepts’ current operating industries. Because Nauset Concepts, LLC expects to
see such remarkable growth, the Company will likely seek funding for further
expansion throughout the coming year. Investor programs have been established,
and a comprehensive marketing platform will be launched late in 2005. Each
division looks forward to continued growth, in terms of size, revenue, and
product and service offering, independently and cooperatively. Highland Politics
& Policy also looks forward to the mid-term election cycle for further
deployment of its consulting, design and technology services, and its P2
Political Software Suite.
(b) The Lighthouses (i) Nauset Light 1. History
The Town of
In 1836, 21
residents of Eastham wrote to the Boston Marine Society recommending a
lighthouse at Nauset Beach on the back shore of Cape Cod, halfway between
Highland (Cape Cod) Light in Truro and the twin lights at
Chatham.
In response
to a petition from local citizens, the government decided in 1837 to establish a
lighthouse station at
Three
identical lighthouses were built at
Lighthouse
Inspector Carpender remarked that a single red light would have been far more
economical. Even naturalist Henry David Thoreau found the three lighthouses
puzzling, saying "This seems a shiftless and costly way of accomplishing that
object." In 1843, Inspector I.W.P. Lewis, nephew of the lighthouses' designer,
recommended that the three lights be replaced by a single flashing white light,
saying, "The necessity of three lights here, instead of one, is hardly
comprehended."
Lewis also
found shoddy craftsmanship, as the towers had no foundations and had walls
filled with sand instead of mortar. Despite these objections, no changes were
made to the Three Sisters until 1856, when all three were fitted with sixth
order Fresnel lenses. In 1873, fourth order Fresnel lenses were installed. In
1875 a larger, more solid wooden keeper's house was built.
Like other
lighthouses on
By 1911 the
cliff had eroded to within eight feet of the northernmost tower. The Bureau of
Lighthouses finally decided to change Nauset to a single light. Two of the
lighthouses were removed and the center one was moved back, given a white light
flashing three times each ten seconds (a tribute to the Three Sisters) and
attached to the keeper's house.
In 1918 the
defunct towers were bought for $3.50 by the Cummings family of
By 1923 the
remaining Sister was in poor condition. Meanwhile, Chatham Light was changed
from a twin to a single light station. The discontinued twin from
The keeper's
house was moved back from the edge of the cliff and placed near the new tower.
The last of the Sisters passed into private hands and became the cupola of a
residence known as "The Beacon."
By 1975 the
National Park Service had purchased the Three Sisters towers. The towers were
reunited in their original configuration on
The
cast-iron tower from
Its
characteristic was changed to alternating red and white flashes. The old Fresnel
lens is now on display at the Cape Cod National Seashore Visitor Center in
Eastham.
Despite the
changes, the tower, with its Italianate detailing, remains one of the most
attractive cast-iron lighthouses on the coast, while its former twin in
The house
passed into private hands in 1955. In 1981 it became the home of Mary
Daubenspeck, author of Nauset Light: A
Personal History. In it she wrote:
"Even in a
Nor'easter's seventy-knot gusts, when the house ever so slightly flexes beneath
my feet, the presence of the Light just beyond the window lends me a powerful
sense of security."
Erosion
continued to plague Nauset Light. In just three years, from 1991 to 1994, 30
feet of the cliff disappeared just east of the lighthouse. In particular, the
"No-Name" storm of October 1991 washed great chunks from the cliff and destroyed
the stairs to the beach below.
In 1993 the
Coast Guard proposed the decommissioning of the lighthouse. Hundreds of letters
poured into the Boston Coast Guard headquarters requesting that the lighthouse
be moved inland and saved. The Nauset Light Preservation Society was formed,
spearheaded by local residents Bill Burt, Hawkins Conrad and Harold Jennings,
among many others.
In April
1996 a new site was agreed on for the lighthouse, which stood only 43 feet from
the edge of the bluff. The move was funded by a $300,000 federal grant and over
$30,000 from the Nauset Light Preservation Society, much of it raised by selling
souvenirs from the station's garage.
The move of
the 90-ton tower finally commenced on November 16, 1996. By this time the
lighthouse was only 35 feet from the edge. The same team of International
Chimney Co. and Expert House Movers that had moved
On November
18 the lighthouse was above its new footing 336 feet from its old site. Over the
winter months a two-course brick foundation was built between the footing and
concrete base. The exterior was renovated and painted, and a new exterior
railing was installed.
Nauset Light
has been relighted as a private aid to navigation. On May 10, 1997, 2,000
supporters watched as four switches on a board were wired to the light and
flipped simultaneously by Captain Robert Duncan of the U.S. Coast Guard, Pam
Nobili, Vice President of the Nauset Light Preservation Society, Maria Burks,
Superintendent of Cape Cod National Seashore, and U.S. Representative William
Delahunt. After the relighting ceremony, Hawkins Conrad, president of the Nauset
Light Preservation Society said, "The emotions felt as we threw the switch were
overwhelming. So much accomplished in four years."
Mary
Daubenspeck donated the house and the existing site to the National Park
Service. $200,000 in government funds was awarded for moving the keeper's house,
renovations to the lighthouse and oil house, and for landscaping and maintenance
of the site. On October 27, 1998, the house was moved to a new foundation near
the lighthouse. Mary Daubenspeck died in
Nauset Light
and the Three Sisters are easily accessible by car, with a large parking lot
close by. For more information or to help with the ongoing preservation of
Nauset Light, contact:
Nauset Light Preservation
Society
2. Visit: http://www.nausetlight.org/NLtours.htm 3. Giving: http://www.nausetlight.org (ii) Race Point Light 1. History Race Point's
name comes from the strong cross current, known as a "race," that made this area
a nightmare for mariners. Before the construction of the Cape Cod Canal in 1914,
every vessel traveling between
As early as
1808 the people of
Over the
next few decades a sizeable fishing community and a saltworks grew up at Race
Point. The little community, known as "Helltown," was even declared a separate
school district in the 1830s.
A tremendous
storm swept
I.W.P. Lewis
inspected Race Point Light in 1842. He recognized the light's importance, but
found reason to be critical:
"The light
is useful to all vessels leaving
The original
lighting system had been devised by I.W.P. Lewis' uncle, Winslow Lewis. The
younger Lewis also reported that the tower was leaky and had no foundation. The
keeper's house, he said, was "in very good repair, and most neatly
kept."
In 1852 a
fog bell was installed at Race Point. Three years later a fourth order Fresnel
lens was installed in the tower. In the 1870s the bell was replaced by a
steam-driven fog signal housed in a new building. A second keeper's dwelling was
built in 1874.
In 1875 it
was reported that the original lime mortar in the tower had disappeared and the
lighthouse had been covered with shingles in an attempt to stop leaks. The
shingles and the wooden stairs inside had become rotten and the tower needed
rebuilding.
In 1876 the
old stone tower was replaced by a 45-foot cast-iron lighthouse, lined with
brick. The Fresnel lens was moved to the new tower and the characteristic was
changed from a flash to a fixed light. It appears that the original keeper's
house was torn down around this time and a new dwelling was built. A water
cistern was added in 1877.
The fishing
settlement at Race Point dwindled later in the 19th century. Three keepers and
their families lived at the lighthouse in the two separate keeper's houses. The
children had to walk two and a half miles across soft sand to school each day.
In the 1930s a keeper named James Hinckley made the trip much quicker by
customizing a Ford into an early dune buggy. The trip that took 75 minutes on
horseback was shortened to 30 minutes.
Race Point
is one of the windiest places on the coast. Keeper
"The wind
often touches a mile a minute. Some of the gusts will blow you several feet, and
it's hard going. The sand is bad enough, cutting into your skin, but a
combination of sand and snow is almost unbearable."
On the
occasion of his retirement at the age of 70, Keeper Hinckley expressed the
opinion that the government should pay a pension to lighthouse keeper's wives,
who "do just as much as the men."
In 1957 Race
Point Light was electrified. Three years later the larger Gothic Revival
keeper's house was torn down and the other house was modernized. The light was
automated in 1972. The Fresnel lens has been removed; there is now a solar
powered VRB-25 optic. The keeper's house remained boarded up for more than 20
years after the Coast Guard left.
In 1995 the
surrounding property, including the keeper's house and oil house, was leased to
the American Lighthouse Foundation. International Chimney, the same company that
has moved three
Volunteers
renovated the interior, and the five-bedroom keeper's house opened for overnight
stays. The building now has heat, hot water, flush toilets, refrigeration and a
gas stove. "This is not a bed and breakfast by any means," Jim Walker, the
chairman of the Cape Cod Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, told the
Cape Cod Times. Guests must bring their own bedding and the kitchen is
shared with other guests.
Jim Walker
reported a mystery in 1996. An American flag appeared on a temporary flag pole,
put there by an unknown benefactor. The volunteers took the flag in for the
winter, and then put it out again in spring. It was shredded in a storm, but
again, a new flag mysteriously took its place. Mr. Walker would like to thank
the unknown donor.
The Center for Coastal Studies, a marine
mammal research and educational group, has leased the 1876 fog signal building.
After a $45,000 renovation, their new field station was dedicated in June 1999.
The station is used as a laboratory for Center for Coastal Studies research,
the National Seashore and the Cape Cod Museum of Natural
History.
The Cape Cod
Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation raised funds for the installation
of a solar electrical system for the keeper's house. Completed and
dedicated in October 2003, the system supplemented a diesel engine electrical
generating system. On-site demonstrations and tours are planned to show
schoolchildren and other visitors to the Cape Cod National Seashore how solar
power can supply electric energy to the average family
home.
You can park
at
2. Visit: http://www.racepointlighthouse.net/ 3. Giving: http://www.racepointlighthouse.net/ (iii)
1. History
A dangerous
spot called Peaked Hill Bars, graveyard of many ships, is about a mile northeast
of Highland Light. In 1794 Reverend James Freeman, writing for the Massachusetts
Historical Society, said that there were more ships wrecked near the eastern
shore of
The Boston
Marine Society also recommended that a lighthouse be built on the Highlands, or
Clay Pounds, in
"Because the
lands here are pretty good and are not so sandy as to be liable to be blown away
by the high gales of wind too often experienced on this
A 45-foot
wooden lighthouse, the 20th in the
Because of
fears that the light might be confused with Boston Light, Highland Light became
the first lighthouse in the nation to have a flashing light. A rotating eclipser
around the light made it appear to flash when seen from the ocean. The rotation
took eight minutes, creating a very slow "flash."
The eclipser
was removed in 1811, when Highland Light received a new Winslow Lewis system of
lamps and reflectors. At this time the height of the tower was reduced by 17
feet and a new lantern, 10 feet high, was installed. Keeper Small complained
that the new lamps required "a great deal more attention and time to tend."
Winslow Lewis, the designer of the lighting system, criticized Small, saying,
"Mr. Small's various pursuits will not allow him to pay any attention to the
Light House." Small was replaced as keeper by Constant Hopkins in 1812.
An 1828
report stated that the 1797 wooden lighthouse was "very imperfect -- is easily
wracked by the winds, which shakes the lantern so much as to break the glass
very frequently." A new brick lighthouse was erected close to the site of the
first one in 1831.
In 1840 a
new lantern was installed, along with a new staircase and windows. A new brick
keeper's house was erected the same year.
Jesse
Holbrook, who became keeper in 1840, reported that when the old stairway was
removed from the tower, it was found that "the interior of the wall was filled
with rubbish, and the brick work apparently thrown together without any regard
to form, there being neither mortar nor bond."
According to
Dennis L. Noble's Lighthouses and Keepers, preparations were made to
install a Fresnel lens in Highland Light in 1840, but Fifth Auditor Stephen
Pleasanton halted the work because of high costs. As a result Winslow Lewis'
inferior Argand lamp and reflector system remained in use at Highland Light
until 1857.
Naturalist
and author Henry David Thoreau visited Highland Light several times in the
1850s. Thoreau found the lighthouse "a neat building, in apple pie order." In
his book,
"The keeper
entertained us handsomely in his solitary little ocean house. He was a man of
singular patience and intelligence, who, when our queries struck him, rang as
clear as a bell in response. The light-house lamp a few feet distant shone full
into my chamber, and made it bright as day, so I knew exactly how the Highland
Light bore all that night, and I was in no danger of being wrecked... I thought
as I lay there, half-awake and half-asleep, looking upward through the window at
the lights above my head, how many sleepless eyes from far out on the ocean
stream -- mariners of all nations spinning their yarns through the various
watches of the night -- were directed toward my couch."
One of the
worst wrecks near Highland Light was that of the British bark Josephus in
1852. It appeared at first that the entire crew of 16 had died, but Keeper Enoch
Hamilton returned hours after the wreck to find that two men had washed ashore
and had survived. Hamilton and a companion carried the men to the keeper's
house, where they spent the night. One of the survivors, John Jasper, later
became the captain of an ocean liner. When his vessel passed Highland Light and
Keeper Hamilton, he would dip the flag as a signal of
respect.
One of the
duties of the keeper was to count the vessels passing the light. In one 11 day
period in July 1853, Keeper Enoch Hamilton counted 1,200 craft passing his
station. As many as 600 vessels were reportedly counted in one day in
1867.
Storms often
hit Highland Light with a vengeance. In the 19th century keepers often had to
stay in the lantern room all night to keep the glass clear. Other problems
plagued the keepers in summer, such as swarms of moths and birds flying straight
into the lantern glass.
An 1855
article in the Barnstable Patriot, written by a woman who spent time at
the lighthouse, told of an incident in the 1833 keeper's
house:
"We were all
seated cozily for dinner... when just as the hostess had put her fork into as
plump a fowl as ever crowed, there came a rattle, a crash, smash and a cloud of
dust which rendered all on the opposite side of the table invisible to me... I
looked up and lo! The cause of the catastrophe! A part of the ceiling had fallen
down over our devoted board and heads. It was not the first time the ceiling had
acted so, I was told, as on a former occasion it had descended and Mrs. Small
had patched the chasm with a newspaper."
The main
keeper's dwelling was rebuilt soon after this incident, in 1856. A new Highland
Light was built in 1857 for $15,000, equipped with a first order Fresnel lens
from
Further
testifying to its importance, the new lighthouse was assigned a keeper and two
assistants. The station also received a coal-burning Daboll fog signal, powerful
enough to cut through the frequent thick fog.
Isaac M.
Small, whose grandfather was the first keeper and owned the land the first
lighthouse was built on, wrote a booklet in 1891 called
Small wrote
about the daily life of the keepers:
"The lives
of the keepers are somewhat monotonous, though relieved in a measure during the
summer months by visits of many pilgrims to this attractive
"The routine
of their duties is regular and systematic. Promptly, one half hour before sunset
the keeper whose watch it may be at the time repairs to the tower and makes
preparations for the lighting of the lamps. At the moment the sun drops below
the western horizon the light flashes out over the sea; the little cog wheels
begin their revolutions; the tiny pumps force the oil up to the wicks and the
night watch has begun. At 8 o'clock the man who has lighted the lamp is relieved
by No. 2, who in turn is also relieved at midnight by No. 3, No. 1 again
returning to duty at 4 a.m. As the sun shows its first gleam above the edge of
the eastern sea the machinery is stopped and the light is allowed to gradually
consume the oil remaining in the wicks and go out. This occurs in about fifteen
minutes. As night comes on again No. 2 is the man to light the lamp, the watches
are changed at 8, 12 and 4, and so go on as before night after
night."
Small also
made a plea on behalf of the keepers:
"It is
written somewhere that keepers must not accept tips from people who visit the
light, but of course it does not really mean that, but should be understood that
keepers should not solicit tips. When you have climbed to the top floor of that
winding stair, and then have reached the ground again, and you are pretty nearly
out of breath and exclaim, "My, but that was some climb," you would appreciate
the feelings and condition of the keeper who had gone up and down some twenty
times during the day. No law requires them to do this, but out of courtesy and
your enjoyment they make the trips. Think it over and decide whether you would
like to change places with them."
One of the
worst storms in
A Naval
radio station was located at Highland Light in 1904. The station assumed great
importance during World War I and was guarded by a detachment of Marines. An
even larger Fresnel lens, floating on a bed of mercury, was installed in 1901.
After an electric light was put inside this lens in 1932, the light became the
coast's most powerful. The 4,000,000 candlepower light could be seen for 45
miles, and reportedly as far as 75 miles in clear weather. The giant lens was
removed in the early 1950s, replaced by modern aerobeacons. When the Fresnel
lens was removed it was destroyed. A fragment is on display in the museum at the
lighthouse. Highland Light was automated in 1986, but the station's radio beacon
remained in service and the keeper's dwelling continued to be used as Coast
Guard housing. In 1961 the Coast Guard had destroyed the assistant keeper's
house and replaced it with a new duplex.
There has
been debate over the years about whether or not Highland Light was ever moved in
the 19th century. Isaac M. Small stated in his booklet, "The present tower
stands upon the EXACT SPOT WHERE THE ORIGINAL TOWER STOOD, IT WAS NEVER MOVED OR
THE LOCATION CHANGED." Case closed.
When the
first lighthouse was built in 1797, it was over 500 feet from the edge of the
125 foot cliff. The cliff continued to erode at a rate of at least three feet a
year until, by the early 1990s, the present lighthouse stood just over a hundred
feet from the edge. In 1990 alone 40 feet were lost just north of the
lighthouse.
A group
within the Truro Historical Society began raising funds for the moving of
Highland Light. Gordon Russell, president of both the Truro Historical Society
and the Save the Light Committee, said that he and other volunteers sent out
30,000 brochures and collected 140,000 signatures on a petition. Local residents
and tourists made donations and bought t-shirts and other souvenirs, and the
Society raised over $150,000. In 1996 this money was combined with $1 million in
federal funds and $500,000 in state funds to pay for the move of the 404-ton
lighthouse to a site 450 feet back from its former location.
The
operation got underway in June 1996, under the direction of International
Chimney Corp. of
The
relocated lighthouse stands close to the seventh fairway of the Highland Golf
Links, prompting some to declare it the world's first life-sized miniature golf
course. "We'll get a windmill from Eastham and put it on number one," joked the
club's greenskeeper. After an errant golf ball broke a pane in the lantern room,
new unbreakable panes were installed.
On Sunday,
November 3, 1996 Highland Light was relighted in its new location. Over 200
people toured the tower's interior before the relighting ceremony. The Highland
Light Bagpipe Band performed in full regalia, and Congressman Gerry Studds, an
important proponent of the move, spoke to the assembled crowd. "While this light
may not save lives," said Studds, "it will inspire lives for a long time to
come."
In the
summer of 1998 Highland Light was opened for visitors, with volunteers giving
tours. A gift shop is in the keeper's house, and there are plans to install
historical exhibits. Highland Light is now operated by
In April
2001 the lighthouse got a needed facelift. The job performed by Campbell
Construction of Beverly, Massachusetts entailed sandblasting the lead paint from
the interior of the lantern room and the tower's stairs, removing rust from the
exterior iron work and replacing some railing sections as well as rusted iron
panels. Some cracks in the iron work were welded with certanium. A new window
was installed, and some of the brick work on the ocean-facing side of the tower
had to be replaced. The interior of the lantern room and the stairs were
repainted, as was the entire exterior of the tower. In addition, a new
ventilation system was installed, which will make visits to the lantern room
more comfortable in summer.
Highland
Light is easy to drive to, but keep in mind that the signs say "Cape Cod Light."
This became the official name in 1976, but to most New Englanders it's always
been Highland Light.
2. Visit: http://trurohistorical.org/directions.htm 3. Giving: http://trurohistorical.org/ (iv) Monomoy Point Light 1. History
Monomoy was
once a peninsula extending southward from
The area was
long a graveyard for vessels. South of Monomoy is Pollock Rip, a region of
unusually strong tidal currents. A lightship was stationed at Pollock Rip for
many years. It was the treacherous shoals and currents near Monomoy that caused
the Pilgrims to enter
In the early
19th century a settlement grew up at Monomoy, centered around the fishing
industry. The community, which became known as
Cape Cod's
fifth lighthouse was built for $3,000 in 1823 at Monomoy Point, also called
Inspector
I.W.P. Lewis visited in 1842 and called Monomoy "one of the most important
locations on the coast of the
The present
cast-iron brick-lined tower was built in 1849, placing among the earliest
cast-iron lighthouses in
"This is a
new establishment altogether -- an iron light-house, a wooden dwelling, and a
new fashionable apparatus. The workmanship to the light-house, I presume, is
good, but it is neither large enough, nor high enough, nor stiff enough; for I
can take hold with one hand of any part of the lantern and shake it to such a
degree as to break the tube glasses on the lamps."
In 1857 the
lighthouse received a fourth order Fresnel lens.
Monomoy was
an extremely isolated station, but the keepers and families had plenty to eat,
with fish, lobster, clams and waterfowl all in abundant supply. In later years
one resourceful keeper converted his Model T Ford into an early dune buggy,
making the trip by land to
In 1872 two
Lifesaving Stations were built on Monomoy. The crews stayed busy as wrecks
continued in the area. In 1902 seven men died attempting to save the crew of a
schooner-barge. Often the lighthouse keepers were the first to spot wrecks and
would notify the lifesaving crews.
In 1872 the
Lighthouse Board recommended that Monomoy be upgraded to a second order light,
saying, "...nearly all vessels (both steamers and sailing) plying between New
York and the eastern ports pass this point, and have no other guide than the
lightships, which cannot be seen a sufficient distance, it is considered a
matter of the greatest importance that this light should be replaced by one of
sufficient power to guide vessels safely through this intricate passage..."
Despite this plea, Monomoy Light was not upgraded.
The
lighthouse was painted red in 1882, making it more visible by day. In 1892 iron
trusses were added to the tower to prevent vibration.
James P.
Smith, a native of
In February
1902 Keeper Smith and his daughters recovered the body of a
With the
opening of the
The first
private owner was George Bearse. When he came to visit the property he was
surprised to find that Navy planes had been using it for machine-gunning target
practice. One bullet had come through a wall of the keeper's house and knocked
out a rung on a rocking chair; another had lodged itself in a four by four
beam.
In 1964 the
Massachusetts Audubon Society restored the lighthouse and keeper's house. In
1988 Massachusetts Senator Edward M. Kennedy helped secure a federal grant for
further refurbishing, a project initiated by the Lighthouse Preservation
Society.
The infamous
Blizzard of 1978 cut Monomoy into two islands, North and
Courtesy www.lighthouse.cc. All
rights
2. Visit: http://monomoy.fws.gov/monomap.html 3. Giving: http://www.friendsofmonomoy.org/ (v) Pharos,
Lighthouse at
1. History Sostratus, the son of
Dexiphanes, the Cnidian, dedicated this to the Saviour Gods, on behalf of those
who sail the seas. © 2024 Nauset Concepts, LLC. All Rights Reserved. |