On the upside: coastal erosion reveals history
Courtesy of Chris Seufort, www.CapeCodAerial.com
Winter storm activity has once again revealed the foundations of the Marconi radio towers.
The Marconi radio towers in Wellfleet transmitted the first wireless trans-Atlantic message in 1903.
An above-average winter storm season has taken a toll on the Cape’s shoreline. But that can have its advantages.
Every so often, the wave action reveals a bit of Cape Cod’s history. Usually it’s the bones of a shipwreck that emerge from the sand. This time, it was the foundations of the Marconi radio towers – four 210-foot wooden towers that were used to broadcast the first wireless trans-Atlantic message from President Theodore Roosevelt to the U.K.’s King Edward on Jan. 18, 1903.
Heather Goldstone
It’s not the first time the foundations have resurfaced, but it’s a striking example of how the Cape’s coastline has changed (and continues to do so). During the sixteen years the station was in operation, the shoreline moved 150 feet and began undercutting the two seaward towers. The foundations slid down the eroding cliff face to their current positions on the beach. They were nowhere to be seen when I visited the Marconi site last October.
Thanks to Chris Seufert for sharing his photos.
Courtesy of Chris Seufert, www.CapeCodAerial.com
The tower foundations slid down the eroding cliff face to their current positions on the beach.
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