Chatham Lighthouse

The light at the elbow of Cape Cod has been working since 1808, when President Jefferson appointed Samuel Nye as its first keeper. What started as twin 40-foot wooden towers — built on skids so they could track the shifting entrance channel — has been rebuilt twice: brick towers in 1841, then cast-iron-lined towers in 1877. In 1923, the northern tower was moved roughly 12 miles north to become Nauset Light. The remaining tower, automated in 1982, still runs as an active Coast Guard station. Free guided tours climb it on summer Wednesdays.