Truro, the second most northerly town on Cape Cod, was settled in 1646. In its early years Truro had a whaling fleet, with nine sloops in the early 1800s. A dangerous spot called Peaked Hill Bars, graveyard of many ships, is about a mile northeast of Highland Light. In 1794, Reverend James Freeman wrote that there were more ships wrecked near the eastern shore of Truro than on any other part of Cape Cod. "A light house near the Clay Pounds should Congress think proper to erect one, would prevent many of these fatal accidents." In 1796, 10 acres of land on a high bluff were acquired for $110 from Isaac Small of Truro. Small became the first keeper of the lighthouse. District Superintendent Benjamin Lincoln explained the choice of a site:

Because the lands here are pretty good and are not so sandy as to be liable to be blown away by the high gales of wind too often experienced on this Cape... As the light-house must be made of wood the soil will be good for its foundation... Fresh water can easily be obtained within the ten acres. The land will summer a cow after a garden shall be taken off for which there is some pretty good land.

A 45-foot wooden lighthouse, the 20th in the United States, was built 500 feet from the edge of the bluff in 1797, exhibiting its light from 160 feet above mean high water. Because of fears that the light might be confused with Boston Light, Highland Light became the first lighthouse in the nation to have a flashing light. A rotating eclipser revolved around the light once in 80 seconds, and the light would be hidden from view for 30 seconds during each revolution. It never worked well and the timing was erratic. The eclipser was removed in 1812, when Highland Light received a new Winslow Lewis system of lamps and reflectors. At this time the height of the tower was reduced by 17 feet and a new lantern, 10 feet high, was installed. Keeper Small complained that the new lamps required "a great deal more attention and time to tend." Winslow Lewis, the designer of the lighting system, criticized Small, saying, "Mr. Small's various pursuits will not allow him to pay any attention to the Light House." Small was replaced as keeper by Constant Hopkins in 1812. Hopkins was nearly 70 years old and lasted less than five years as keeper. An 1828 report stated that the 1797 wooden lighthouse was "very imperfect -- is easily wracked by the winds, which shakes the lantern so much as to break the glass very frequently." A new brick lighthouse was erected close to the site of the first one in 1831. The contractor in charge of the project was Winslow Lewis. In 1840, a new lantern and lighting apparatus were installed by I. W. P. Lewis (Winslow's nephew), along with a new staircase and windows. Jesse Holbrook, who became keeper in 1840, reported that when the old stairway was removed from the tower, it was found that "the interior of the wall was filled with rubbish, and the brick work apparently thrown together without any regard to form, there being neither mortar nor bond."

Naturalist and author Henry David Thoreau visited Highland Light several times in the 1850s. Thoreau found the lighthouse "a neat building, in apple pie order." In his book, Cape Cod, he wrote:

The keeper entertained us handsomely in his solitary little ocean house. He was a man of singular patience and intelligence, who, when our queries struck him, rang as clear as a bell in response. The light-house lamp a few feet distant shone full into my chamber, and made it bright as day, so I knew exactly how the Highland Light bore all that night, and I was in no danger of being wrecked... I thought as I lay there, half-awake and half-asleep, looking upward through the window at the lights above my head, how many sleepless eyes from far out on the ocean stream -- mariners of all nations spinning their yarns through the various watches of the night -- were directed toward my couch.

One of the worst wrecks near Highland Light was that of the British bark Josephus in April 1849. It appeared at first that the entire crew of 16 had died, but Keeper Enoch Hamilton returned hours after the wreck to find that two men had washed ashore and had survived. Hamilton and a companion carried the men to the keeper's house, where they spent the night. One of the survivors, John Jasper, later became the captain of an ocean liner. When his vessel passed Highland Light and Keeper Hamilton, he would dip the flag as a signal of respect. One of the duties of the keeper was to count the vessels passing the light. In one 11 day period in July 1853, Keeper Enoch Hamilton counted 1,200 craft passing his station. As many as 600 vessels were reportedly counted in one day in 1867. Storms often hit Highland Light with a vengeance. In the 19th century keepers often had to stay in the lantern room all night to keep the glass clear. Other problems plagued the keepers in summer, such as swarms of moths and birds flying straight into the lantern glass.

old postcard of Highland Light

The main keeper's dwelling was rebuilt in 1856. A new brick tower was built in 1857 for $15,000, equipped with a first order Fresnel lens from Paris. This powerful light made Highland Light, the highest on the New England mainland, one of the coast's most powerful lights. Highland Light was for many years the first glimpse of America seen by many immigrants from Europe. Further testifying to its importance, the new lighthouse was assigned a keeper and two assistants. The station also received a coal-burning Daboll trumpet fog signal, powerful enough to cut through the frequent thick fog. One of the worst storms in New England history struck on November 26, 1898. The storm was later dubbed the Portland Gale after the steamer Portland, lost with nearly 200 passengers in Massachusetts Bay. At about 10 p.m. on the night of the storm the wind indicator at Highland Light was demolished with wind speeds reaching over 100 miles per hour. A short time later the windows in the lantern were blown out and the light went out. The storm lasted 36 hours, and gradually wreckage from the Portland washed up along Cape Cod's back shore.

A Naval radio station was located at Highland Light in 1904. The station assumed great importance during World War I and was guarded by a detachment of Marines. An even larger Fresnel lens, floating on a bed of mercury, was installed in 1901. After an electric light was put inside this lens in 1932, the light became the coast's most powerful. The 4,000,000 candlepower light could be seen for 45 miles, and reportedly as far as 75 miles in clear weather. The giant lens was removed in the early 1950s, replaced by modern aerobeacons. When the Fresnel lens was removed it was destroyed. A fragment is on display in the museum at the lighthouse. Highland Light was automated in 1986, but the station's radio beacon remained in service and the keeper's dwelling continued to be used as Coast Guard housing. In 1961 the Coast Guard had destroyed the assistant keeper's house and replaced it with a new duplex. When the first lighthouse was built in 1797, it was over 500 feet from the edge of the 125 foot cliff. The cliff continued to erode at a rate of at least three feet a year until, by the early 1990s, the present lighthouse stood just over a hundred feet from the edge. In 1990 alone 40 feet were lost just north of the lighthouse.

A group within the Truro Historical Society began raising funds for the moving of Highland Light. Gordon Russell, president of both the Truro Historical Society and the Save the Light Committee, said that he and other volunteers sent out 30,000 brochures and collected 140,000 signatures on a petition. Local residents and tourists made donations and bought t-shirts and other souvenirs, and the Society raised over $150,000. In 1996 this money was combined with $1 million in federal funds and $500,000 in state funds to pay for the move of the 404-ton lighthouse to a site 450 feet back from its former location. The operation got underway in June 1996, under the direction of International Chimney Corp. of Buffalo, with the help of subcontractor Expert House Moving of Maryland, the same companies responsible for the successful move of Block Island Southeast Light in 1993. Thousands of sightseers gathered to catch a glimpse of the rare move. The foundation of the lighthouse was excavated and four levels of criss-crossing beams were inserted beneath the tower. The entire structure was lifted with hydraulic jacks and mounted on rollers, then set on rails. The move took 18 days. It appeared to go smoothly, but consultant Peter Friesen said, "The other one behaved better than this one," referring to Block Island Southeast Light. During the move workers placed quarters on the beams. The coins, flattened by the lighthouse, were later auctioned off for as high as $57, with the money going to the Truro Historical Society. The relocated lighthouse stands close to the seventh fairway of the Highland Golf Links, prompting some to declare it the world's first life-sized miniature golf course. "We'll get a windmill from Eastham and put it on number one," joked the club's greenskeeper. After an errant golf ball broke a pane in the lantern room, new unbreakable panes were installed. On Sunday, November 3, 1996 Highland Light was relighted in its new location. Over 200 people toured the tower's interior before the relighting ceremony. The Highland Light Bagpipe Band performed in full regalia, and Congressman Gerry Studds, an important proponent of the move, spoke to the assembled crowd. "While this light may not save lives," said Studds, "it will inspire lives for a long time to come."

In the summer of 1998 Highland Light was opened for visitors, with volunteers giving tours. A gift shop is in the keeper's house, and there are plans to install historical exhibits. Highland Light is now operated by Highland Museum and Lighthouse, Inc., under a National Park Service Concession contract. The lighthouse is open daily, mid-May through October. In April 2001 the lighthouse got a needed facelift. The job performed by Campbell Construction of Beverly, Massachusetts entailed sandblasting the lead paint from the interior of the lantern room and the tower's stairs, removing rust from the exterior iron work and replacing some railing sections as well as rusted iron panels. Some cracks in the iron work were welded with certanium. A new window was installed, and some of the brick work on the ocean-facing side of the tower had to be replaced. The interior of the lantern room and the stairs were repainted, as was the entire exterior of the tower. In addition, a new ventilation system was installed, which will make visits to the lantern room more comfortable in summer.  (Source: Wikipedia)