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Race Point Beach is known for the strong undertow of its rough waters and its beautiful landscape, which consists of wide swaths of sand and dunes that stretch far off into the distance. Resting in Provincetown, Cape, Cod, Massachusetts, along a major shipping route between Boston and New York, the Cape is one of the windiest areas on the Atlantic Seaboard. With shallow sand bars hundreds of yards offshore, the Cape is hazardous for mariners. In 300 years of recorded history, the Cape has seen more than 3,000 shipwrecks. On April 17, 1816, Congress approved $8,000 for Race Point Light and two other lighthouses. Laid in common lime mortar, the Race Point Light tower was originally 25-feet tall, and made of rubblestone. The original tower-light, with ten lamps backed by 13-inch reflectors, could be seen 19 miles away. It was made to revolve as a way to distinguish it from other lighthouses on the Cape. A Keeper’s house made of stone was built in 1840, which was connected to the tower via a kitchen, and in 1858 lighting was magnified by a fourth order Fresnel lens. A second Keeper’s dwelling was added in 1874. After years of significant deterioration, the tower was rebuilt with a new, 45-foot-tall, brick-lined, cast-iron lighthouse in 1876 for $2,800, and the lens was moved to the new tower. The original stone keeper’s house was torn down, and a new one made of wood was constructed for the head keeper. The tower was initially reddish-brown, but was changed to white in the early 20th Century. The environment in which the lighthouse inhabits is known to be isolated, and at times, desolate. Today, Race Point Lighthouse is still an aid to navigation, and is maintained by the Coast Guard. It has a solar-powered VRB-25 optic exhibiting a 400,000-candlepower white flash every ten seconds from a height of 41-feet that is visible for 12 miles. The Cape Cod Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation maintains all of the structures and grounds.  Sources of information: newenglandlighthouses.net & racepointlighthouse.org