At Harding Beach, Chatham, MA sets the remains of the
original Stage Harbor Lighthouse, built in 1880. Although inactive now and
without a lantern room, this lighthouse is a landmark to local history, to lives
saved, and to the history of navigation.
At the elbow of Cape Cod and the north side of Nantucket
Sound, is one of the foggier places on the East Coast. In the 19th
century, its fishing fleet and scores of other coasting vessels seeking shelter
from contrary winds and bad weather, routinely sought refuge in Stage Harbor. To decrease the danger for mariners navigating into the harbor, the
Lighthouse Board had this 48-foot, cast-iron lighthouse and attached clapboard
keeper’s house built at the east end of Harding Beach, alongside the narrow
channel.
In June 1933, the Stage Harbor Lighthouse was taken out of
service after a new beacon was placed atop a white skeletal tower, located 308
feet south of the old lighthouse. (Skeletal tower is visible at right side of my
picture.) The need for this original lighthouse changed and now she sleeps.
The government eventually declared the light station surplus
property and sold it to the Hoyt's, a local family. The tower and house are
private property.
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