{"nrhp_refnum":"87001463","name":"Highland Light Station","other_names":["Cape Cod Light"],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Highland Light Rd.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Truro","county":"Barnstable County","state":"MA","lat":42.046795486000065,"lon":-70.06882833599997,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1987-06-15","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Engineering","Transportation","Architecture","Maritime History"],"significance_levels":["state","local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Highland Light Station (also called Cape Cod Light) is a lighthouse complex on the clay cliffs at North Truro, Barnstable County, Massachusetts. The present 66-foot brick tower and keeper's house date from 1857, and the site holds the first lighthouse on Cape Cod (1797).","why_significant":"The nomination argues the station is one of the better preserved mid-nineteenth-century light complexes in Massachusetts, with its tower, walkway, keeper's house and generator shed intact. It is also significant as the site of the first lighthouse on Cape Cod and for features such as its elaborate wrought iron work. It is tied to the development of aids to navigation in the state.","narrative":"Perched on the eroding clay cliffs of North Truro, Highland Light Station is a lighthouse complex on the Atlantic side of Cape Cod. The present 66-foot cylindrical brick tower, its walkway, the shingled Queen Anne keeper's house and a small generator shed all date from 1857. The site goes back further: a lighthouse built here in 1797 was the first on Cape Cod, erected after local residents and Boston maritime groups pointed to the many shipwrecks along this shore. The tower has walls 4.5 feet thick at the base, an iron staircase, elaborate open-work iron steps and a lantern room with large glass panes. Over the years the light moved from whale oil lamps to a Fresnel lens and later to electric drum lamps. The station was listed for its good integrity, its place in the story of navigation aids in Massachusetts, its status as the first Cape Cod light site, and its fine ironwork. Erosion has already claimed the original oil house and watchtower.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":null,"architectural_style":"Keeper's house described as Queen Anne style; the 2011 form lists the classification as No Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Active aid to navigation in Coast Guard use in the 1980s, with the dwellings used as Coast Guard housing; the 2011 form lists current functions including a museum and water-related transportation. Cliff erosion has already claimed the original oil house and watchtower.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:13:02.327261-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/53/7891/63789153/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_MA/87001463.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001463/72c3a0d49f-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/87001463/72c3a0d49f-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Pentachlorphenol","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cape_Cod_Highland_Light.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Pentachlorphenol</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cape_Cod_Highland_Light.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/63789153","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Highland_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5758878"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/massachusetts/barnstable-county/highland-light-station-87001463/"}