This is the second tower to stand on this point. On the original lighthouse, built in 1828, the tower was on the roof of the keeper's house. In 1876, the current house and tower were built, when the original fell into disrepair.
This tower, currently in use at Nauset Beach, is actually the original North Tower from Chatham Light (pictured below). The tower was dismantled and moved to its current location when the last of the Three Sisters, the original lights at Nauset Beach, was decommissioned in 1923.
As noted above, this lightstation orginally consisted of twin towers. The necessity for multiple towers was a result of poor technology. Because a single light already shone from Truro at Highland Light, to assist navigation, twin towers were built at Chatham to distinguish it from Highland. The light has been consistently updated, which allowed the North tower to replace the Three Sisters, and is still in use today.
The Three Sisters were the original lighthouses at Nauset Beach. As technology developed, the towers were sold to private individuals for use on summer cottages, and the lights were replaced with the North Tower from Chatham. Eventually, the National Park Service was able to repurchase the towers, and they are now in a small park near Nauset Beach.
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