Monomoy Point Light

Monomoy Point Light in Chatham, Massachusetts, stands on the Monomoy shoreline within the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge as an isolated lighthouse reached only by boat. The station began in 1823 with a wooden tower and brick lantern room built atop the keeper’s house. Its present tower, erected in 1849, is significant as one of the first cast-iron lighthouse towers, marking a shift to more durable construction. Changes in shipping after the Cape Cod Canal opened in 1914 reduced offshore traffic, leading to the light’s deactivation in 1923. Preserved as a historic site, it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979, and the keeper’s house now supports wildlife management.

Chatham, Massachusetts · United States