Location: Cape National Seashore, Provincetown, Massachusetts (View Map)
Race Point Lighthouse
Coordinates: 42° 03′ 45″N 70° 14′ 35″W
Overview:
Over the past decade, thousands of people have enjoyed memorable day trips and overnight stays at Race Point Light Station on Cape Cod.
The alluring thought of total relaxation away from the hustle and bustle of life, all while enjoying the breathtaking natural beauty found at a place of solitude like Race Point, is an experience that never fails to speak to one’s innermost feelings and emotions.
Quick Lighthouse Facts:
- Year Built: 1876
- Height of Tower: 40 feet
- Description: White tower showing a flashing white light every 10 seconds that is visible 16 nautical miles. – Reference: 2005 U.S. Coast Guard Light List
- Location: On northwest point of Cape Cod.- Reference: 1939 U.S. Lighthouse Service Light List
- Automated: 1978
- Status: Active aid to navigation owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and licensed to the American Lighthouse Foundation. The Cape Cod Chapter – a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, is dedicated to restoring the historic lighthouse.
The first lighthouse at Race Point was established on November 5, 1816 and consisted of a rubblestone tower showing a light 25-feet above sea level. Upgrades to the light station navigation-wise included the installation of a fog bell in 1852 and a fourth order Fresnel lens in 1855.
By the 1870s a steam-driven fog signal replaced the outdated bell and in 1874 a second keeper’s dwelling was added to the light station. Deterioration to the original rubblestone tower prompted the U.S. Lighthouse Service to build the present day lighthouse in 1876. The structure was described as being a 45-feet tall, built of cast-iron construction and lined with brick.
The lighthouse was electrified in 1957 and in 1960 the Coast Guard tore down the larger keeper’s dwelling. The light’s last resident keepers were removed in 1978. The U.S. Coast Guard leased the light station to the American Lighthouse Foundation in 1995. Race Point Light now offers overnight stays to guests wishing to experience lighthouse life on the remote and sandy beaches of Cape Cod.
Preservation Status:
Located in the Cape Cod National Seashore
Overnight Stay Program: ALF’s first overnight stay program opened at Race Point Lighthouse on Cape Cod in 1998, following a complete restoration of the entire light station by our Cape Cod Chapter.
Since that time, the Cape Cod Chapter has worked tirelessly to make your stay the most memorable experience possible by maintaining an impeccable site and offering up the finest in warm hospitality. Guests enjoy their experience at Race Point so much, many of them return year after year with family and friends as part of a vacation ritual that renews their spirits like no other. Learn More…
Open House Tours: If you enjoy a good, long hike within sight and smell of the sea, then we have just the destination for you! Journey by foot to Race Point Lighthouse nestled in the dunes of the Cape Cod National Seashore for an opportunity to climb this historic 1876 beacon on the first and third Saturday of each month during the summer. Learn More…
Chapter Information:
Mailing Address:
Cape Cod Chapter of ALF
P.O. Box 565
Rockland, ME 04841
