Chatham Light
Lighthouse · Barnstable County, Massachusetts

Chatham Light is a lighthouse in Barnstable County, Massachusetts. Massachusetts has 81 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 21 of them in Barnstable County.
It was built in 1877, in the late 19th century, making it the 28th oldest of the 50 in Massachusetts with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 48 feet tall (14th tallest of 36 measured in Massachusetts); its light sits 79 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as Fl(2) W 10s (a group of 2 white flashes every 10 seconds), with a range of about 24 nautical miles; the structure is built of cast iron.
Status check, 2026-11: The station dates from 1808, but today's brick-lined cast-iron tower went up in 1877. Its twin was moved to Eastham in 1923 and became Nauset Light. Chatham Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It stands at 41.6713° N, 69.9502° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1877 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 48 ft |
| Focal height | 79 ft |
| Light characteristic | Fl(2) W 10s |
| Range | 24 nautical miles |
| Material | cast iron |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 41.67131, -69.95015 |
Nearby places
- Stage Harbor Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 1.9 mi
- Stage Harbor Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 2 mi
- Monomoy Point Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 8.1 mi
- West Dennis Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 11.4 mi
- Three Sisters of Nausetlighthouse · Barnstable County · 13 mi
- Nauset Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 13.1 mi
- Billingsgate Island Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 15.2 mi
- Bishop and Clerks Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 16.9 mi
- Point Gammon Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 16.9 mi
- Le Count Hollowghost town · Barnstable County · 17.5 mi
- Sandy Neck Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 17.5 mi
- Hyannis Rear Range Lightlighthouse · Barnstable County · 17.7 mi
Questions
Where is Chatham Light?
Chatham Light is in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, at 41.6713, -69.9502.
How many lighthouses are in Barnstable County?
Barnstable County, Massachusetts has 21 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.