Lighthouses. Their defined purpose is that of steering ships from the treacherous coasts that they inhabit. These guardian angel structures do their job and yet have also gained stature as historic landmarks wherever they stand. For me, any of my trips that have included coastlines have to include at least one lighthouse; they make the trip. Luckily for me there are many of these amazing beacons located such a short drive away all over Cape Cod.
Incredibly the first lighthouse was not built in America, nor was it even built in the last thousand years. No, the first example of a structure built to aid in navigation for sailors was the Lighthouse of Alexandria. Built between 280 and 247 B.C. on the island of Pharos at Alexandria, Egypt the lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. It used fire and reflective mirrors to produce a visible light and was said to be visible from up to twenty-nine miles away due to its incredible height of between 393-450 feet. Two earthquakes in 1303 and 1323 damaged the lighthouse so much that it was rendered useless; its remains are able to be seen during diving expeditions.
Cape Cod’s lighthouses can be divided into three categories: easy access, difficult access, and inaccessible. Obviously the easily accessible lighthouses are the most popular as well.