Cape Cod Highland Lighthouse

Year Built

1797

Cost

$8,000

Type

Conical

Height

66 feet

Location

North Truro

Automated Year

1987

First Lit

1857 (current structure)

Lens Type

First order Fresnel lens (original), VegaMarine LED Beacon (current)

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White with black lantern

Last Keeper - Date

Jeffrey A. Kahler (1984 – 1986)

Description

A wooden, octagonal tower with a keeper’s house near the tower, along with an oil vault, a well, and a small barn.

Brief History

•  The lighthouse parcel was purchased from Isaac Small, who would become its first keeper, for $110.
•  In 1854, $25,000 was budgeted to rebuild Cape Cod Lighthouse on a proper site.
•  In 1873, $5,000 was allocated for the station to receive a first-class Daboll trumpet fog horn.
•  On June 6, 1900, Congress appropriated $15,000 for changing the light’s characteristic from fixed to flashing.
•  Highland Museum and Lighthouse, Inc. was formed in 1998 as a non-profit to partner with the National Park Service in running a gift shop in the keeper’s dwelling and in offering tours of the lighthouse.