Massachusetts - Sandy Neck Lighthouse

The Sandy Neck Lighthouse is located at Barnstable, MA on the west side of the entrance to Barnstable Harbor. The original light built in 1827 was a brick dwelling with a square wooden light tower on the roof, and was named Barnstable Light. However, due to defective construction and materials, the government decided in 1857 it was necessary to tear down the existing building and start over. This time a thirty-four foot brick tower with a separate wood-frame keeper's house was built, and the station's name was changed to Sandy Neck. In 1887 it was reported that the tower was "badly cracked and being strengthened with two iron hoops and six (vertical) staves". These essential reinforcements were still in place at the time of my visit in 2001. By the 1930's, the wandering Sandy Neck dune had left the aging tower well away from the ocean. With marine traffic on the wane, officials decided to turn off the light, close the station, and relocate the beacon atop a skeletal tower further east. After 1950, the lantern room was removed and the property auctioned off. At the time of my visit the property was privately owned by Fred Lang - Yankee Network's WNAC Radio Station. It is believed, at that time, he was the only radio personality to own a lighthouse.