I decided that I wanted to create a virtual that would offer scenic views, historical education, and the opportunity for a lengthy coastal walk. This is NOT a park n grab. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Long Point Lighthouse:
By an act of Congress on May 18, 1826, the U.S. Government set aside $2,500 to purchase 4 acres at the very end of Long Point, and to establish a lighthouse at the entrance to Provincetown Harbor.
Finished in 1827, the original Long Point Light was not a tower structure (like today), but rather consisted of an octagonal lantern centered on the peak of the roof of the wooden keeper's house.That architectural style, common to several of Cape Cod's early 19th century lighthouses, came to be known as the "Cape Cod style". Oddly enough, none of those exist on the Cape today. The present-day 38-foot tall, square brick lighthouse and a one-and-one-half-story keeper's dwelling to its south were completed in 1875. The lighthouse included a larger Fresnel lens, and a 1,200-pound fog bell was installed to the north of the tower. In 1904, the station received an oil house for properly storing flammable materials used for illumination. The oil house is the only other structure that remains on Long Point today. Long Point Light underwent automation in 1952. In 1982, Long Point Light became the second lighthouse in Massachusetts to be equipped with solar panels to power the light and fog signal equipment. The abandoned keeper's dwelling and fog signal building were demolished around the same time. The Long Point Light Station was added to the National Historic Register in 1987.
The village of Long Point:
From the late 1820s until the late 1850s, this lighthouse shared the peninsula with a thriving village of Long Point. By 1830, the lighthouse became the site of Long Point's first school, starting with only three children. The village grew to include the homes of 38 fishing families, a schoolhouse with up to 60 children, a post office, bakery, boat landings, breakwaters, and several saltworks which utilized windmills to pump seawater. For various reasons, the settlement was ultimately disbanded. Most of the families took their houses with them when they left — the houses were placed on rafts and floated across the harbor to Provincetown's West End. Several of those historic "floater" homes are still standing, and can be identified by looking for the distinctive blue and white plaques.
YOU WILL NEED TO VISIT THE LIGHTHOUSE IN ORDER TO CLAIM A FIND ON THIS CACHE.
In your cache log:
1) Post a picture of you or your GPS device in such a manner that it contains two out of the three items remaining at the Long Point Lighthouse site.
Send me an email with the following information:
1) How many benches are now available to rest upon at the Memorial for Charles S. Darby?
BONUS! can you find one of the houses with a 'Floater' plaque in the West End?
Virtual Reward - 2017/2018
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between August 24, 2017 and August 24, 2018. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards on the Geocaching Blog.