I wanted to see some lighthouses. Our map showed a couple of lighthouses at the tip of the cape. About half way there was a sign for the Cape Cod Lighthouse. Little did we know that it was open and we could tour it! ... and came to find out it was likely the only one we would be able to get in to see, let alone close enough. It was the first lighthouse on the cape and built in 1797. We went to the observatory at the edge of the Atlantic where the lighthouse used to stand. Originally 10 acres of land were purchased for this lighthouse and today less than 4 acres remain, the rest being lost to the ocean due to erosion. In 1996 the lighthouse was moved 570 feet inland in order to not lose this historical marker to the ocean. The guides there were very knowledgeable and interesting to listen to about the history. We bought the needed trinkets and off we went.
Off to the tip we continued. Our map indicated there were 2 lighthouses. We were not able to get close to either of these. Glad we stopped at the one we did! We took a short driving tour of Provincetown and saw the Pilgrims Monument and back to Barnstable we headed.
It was mid-afternoon when we stepped into the historic Sturgis Library in Barnstable. It is the oldest library in the United States. It originally was a house that was built by Chad and Brendan's 12th gr-grandfather and was later given to the town to be used as a library. Very interesting history in this old house. Lots of great genealogy records too!
The library also houses the 1605 Bible that Rev. John Lothropp brought with him to the United States in 1634.
No comments:
Post a Comment