The Three Sisters Of Nauset

Meet the Three Sisters Of Nauset. 

The sisters are decommissioned lighthouses in Massachusetts. Their predecessors went up in 1837, costing $10,000 combined. They were set up as a trio to help sailors distinguish them from the single light of Cape Cod Lighthouse (now Highland Light) in Truro and the double light at the Twin Lights in Chatham. They were spaced 46 meters apart.

They got the Three Sisters name because sailors thought that- from sea- they looked like little ladies with white dresses and black bonnets. Remember, these dudes had been at sea for a while.

The eroding sands of Nauset brought the lighthouses to the edge of the cliff by 1890. It was impossible to move them, so replicas (the current sisters) were built 30 feet back. The original lighthouses were allowed to fall into the sea.

Erosion continued, and the northernmost light was 8 feet from the cliff by 1911. The center light was the only one lit- flashing three times to honor her decommissioned sisters- and was known as The Beacon. The other sisters, with their lights removed and sold for $3.50 each, were joined by a room and made into a cottage/dance studio.

The Beacon was replaced by one of the Twin Lights of Chatham in 1923. She also became a cottage. She has the honor of being replaced by Nauset Light, which was one of the Twin Lights of Chatham. It stands today as both a lighthouse and the Cape Cod Potato Chips logo. Of course I have a link.

By 1975, the sisters had all been bought up by the National Park Service. They were placed 400 yards west of the original placements and eventually moved to 1800 yards west to where they stand today.

They were restored in 1989 and you can visit them whenever you like. The National Park Service runs tours, unless they got gutted in some government shutdown scheme.

Take care, girls!