Monomoy Point Lighthouse

Year Built

1823

Cost

$2782.72

Type

Cylindrical

Height

46 feet

Location

Monomoy Island

Automated Year

Not Automated

First Lit

1849 (current structure)

Lens Type

Fourth order Fresnel Lens

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

1923

Color

Red with black lantern

Last Keeper - Date

Douglas H. Shepherd (1916 – 1923)

Description

The lighthouse still stands and the keeper's house is preserved and serves today as a guest house.

Brief History

•  The current tower, one of the first made of cast iron, was built in 1849.
•  From 1865 to 1875, John B. Tuttle, a resident of Harwich who had been wounded in the Civil War, served as keeper of Monomoy Light.
•  The Cape Cod Canal opened in 1914. The Monomoy Point Lighthouse was considered expendable at that point.
•  In February 1978, a blizzard cut Monomoy Island into two separate islands.
•  The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service manage the station in conjunction with a non-profit group interested in restoring the lighthouse.