Cape Cod lighthouse, presumed destroyed, found in Montara

Cape Cod historians for decades thought the 30-foot tall lighthouse that once overlooked Wellfleet Harbor had been taken down and destroyed in 1925.  It turns out it was moved to Montara.

The Wellfleet light’s discovery on Point Montara, just south of San Francisco along the Pacific coast, was a genuine shock, said Wellfleet historian Helen Purcell. "In a way, I don’t know if I ever asked myself what did they do with it."

Some of the confusion surrounding its fate may come from the existence of several lighthouses at different times in the same area, Purcell said. The lighthouse now in California was first erected in Wellfleet in 1881 and was the last one to be built in the harbor area.

It was believed to have been razed in 1939, according to MacNeney. There is no known documentation of any move across the country.

The story includes some great photos of the Pt. Montara Lighthouse in its original setting, as well as in the process of being moved.