Ron J
Active member
A few weeks ago, during my quest to visit current or former Life Saving Stations,or Coast Guard Stations,my Father may have been stationed at,or visited while in the service,i decided to visit Highland Station,or whats left of it. The White building is it.There used to be a watch tower,and a radio tower here,but time has taken its toll.My Father was stationed here from 1933-1936. He would have to walk the beach patrol,looking for grounded or wrecked vessels. Storm or no storm,during the darkness of nightfall. My Uncle Tony,who is now 81, 18 years younger than my father was,informed me during my visit to Provincetown,he (my Uncle)was brought to Highland Station,while my Dad was on duty. Occasionally,he would go on patrol with my Dad.My Uncle would have been only 9 or 10 at the time. Imagine trying that in todays Service! [attachment 56817 lighthousesCapeCod055.jpg] Well anyway,while driving thru the winding road,to the Highland Station,i noticed a watchtower off in the dunes.I have been here before,but never remembered seeing this tower before.I knew Freon the shape,it had to be a Life Saving Station.(They seemed to have all been built from the same plans) Driving in the parking lot,a made it a point to walk down the boardwalk in the direction of the tower.[attachment 56818 lighthousesCapeCod057.jpg]After a 10 minute walk,i came to the building.Never seen it here before.Strange...Well i was excited to even see it..Had my Father been stationed here also?? It was very early in the morning,so i was gonna hop the fence,and thru the dunes,to get close-up shots. Here's approaching the side..[attachment 56819 lighthousesCapeCod056.jpg]and the backside,noticing a cement block foundation,interesting,figured the original would have been wooden pilings. Then i walked to the edge of the Dunes,to view the ocean.The Dunes here are about 100/150 higher than the beach! [attachment 56820 lighthousesCapeCod058.jpg][attachment 56821 lighthousesCapeCod060.jpg] I could only imagine my Dad possibly opening that door years ago..[attachment 56822 lighthousesCapeCod063.jpg] After my photo op,i headed back to Provincetown,to a little restaurant i always eat at,while visiting.I enjoyed a fantastic Linguica Omelet,which i can almost taste now!! After breakfast i visited my Uncle Clem's Welding shop,and had a wonderful visit. I asked about the Life Station,was i dreaming or was it always located there? My Uncle Clem,and cousin Mike informed me,that 20 yrs or so, it was moved from another area,by barge,and two very large cranes were moved to the Highlands to lift the Station, and place it where it sits now! A few days later,after returning home,i looked it up on line.The Station was built in 1897! Was originally built in Chatham Harbor,on Nauset Beach.There were at least 27 other stations built with the same plans. The Cape Cod Nat'l Seashore had it moved because of shoreline erosion in 1977. Imagine the stories this building could tell! Rj
