Massachusetts - Highland Lighthouse (Cape Cod)

The Highland Lighthouse is located at Truro, MA and is Cape Cod's oldest lighthouse. The first lighthouse was a forty-five foot wooden tower built in 1797. It was originally called Clay Pounds Light because it was built on the site of the Truro Clay Pound. In 1857 the Lighthouse Service established a brick tower and whale oil-burning lantern atop the 125 foot bluff known as the "High Land" at North Truro. It was an attempt to eliminate the frequent shipwrecks occurring along the busy shipping lane past the Outer Cape. Although officially called Cape Cod Light, most of its existence the local residents have always regarded the structure as Highland Light, and the latter is now the proper designation.

While the lofty dune beneath it made Highland Light a widely visible landmark, concern arose that the fixed white beacon would be confused with the similar one at Boston Light. To eliminate the possibility, the lantern was equipped with a revolving "screen," which created the country's first flashing signal.

Erosion of the nearby bluff presented a less imminent, but ultimately more forbidding dilemma. The ever encroaching sea gradually undercut the cliff below the light and threatened to tumble the station into the sea. By the 1990's, it was only about 100 feet from the edge of the steep bank. In June 1996 the 400-plus ton structure was moved 450 feet inland at a cost of well over one million dollars. It was moved onto Cape Cod National Seashore property. At the time of my visit in 2001, the Highland Lighthouse was an active light. It was owned and operated by the Park Service as a private aide to navigation.