South Wellfleet in Barnstable County, Massachusetts — The American Northeast (New England)
The Outer Cape: Changing Faster Than Technology
Cape Cod National Seashore
| | National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior | |
Photographed by Alan M. Perrie, September 10, 2019
1. The Outer Cape Marker
Technological innovation constantly reshapes our experience of the world-in less than a century, we advanced from wireless telegraph to wireless internet. On Cape Cod, the North Atlantic Ocean is a powerful force for change to the landscape.
In 1917, just 16 years after Guglielmo Marconi built the South Wellfleet wireless station, it was shuttered. New inventions were beginning to make the technology at this station obsolete, but the very ground on which the station stood faced a more imminent threat.
Every year on average, the Outer Cape loses about three feet of upland bluffs due to the natural process of erosion. Strong winter winds scour the face of the dunes, and waves strike the beach every six seconds, dragging sand into the water and redepositing it elsewhere.
The site where Marconis station once stood is now gone. How long until the ground beneath your feet is claimed by the ocean?
(photo caption)
This photo from the 1920s shows how close the station towers were to the edge of the bluff. To avoid them toppling over the edge, they were cut down and used for firewood.
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these
this page online
Location. 41° 54.797′ N, 69° 58.303′ W. Marker is in South Wellfleet, Massachusetts, in Barnstable County. It can be reached from Marconi Station Road east of Marconi Beach Road, on the right when traveling north. Marker can be reached from U.S. 6 1.2 miles from Marconi Beach Road, on the right when traveling north. Enter the Marconi Site. Turn left onto Marconi Station Road to the parking lot for the White Cedar Swamp Trail. The marker is 100 feet down a paved path to a raised platform viewing station of the Atlantic Ocean. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Wellfleet MA 02667, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is on Massachusetts’ Cape Cod. It is also in the American Northeast, in New England, and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Guglielmo Marconi
Photographed by Alan M. Perrie, September 10, 2019
2. The Outer Cape Marker from the viewing platform
Other markers no longer nearby. Transatlantic Triumph (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing); Marconi Wireless Station (was within shouting distance of this marker but has been confirmed missing).
Also see . . .
1. Cape Cod National Seashore. (Submitted on October 23, 2019, by Alan M. Perrie of Unionville, Connecticut.)
2. Marconi Wireless Station. (Submitted on October 23, 2019, by Alan M. Perrie of Unionville, Connecticut.)
3. Atlantic Ocean. (Submitted on October 23, 2019, by Alan M. Perrie of Unionville, Connecticut.)
4. 2009 Photos of Marconi wireless site. (Submitted on October 23, 2019, by Alan M. Perrie of Unionville, Connecticut.)
Photographed by Adam Margolis, September 15, 2025
3. The Outer Cape: Changing Faster Than Technology Marker
Photographed by Adam Margolis, September 15, 2025
4. The Outer Cape: Changing Faster Than Technology Marker
Credits. This page was last revised on January 7, 2026. It was originally submitted on October 23, 2019, by Alan M. Perrie of Unionville, Connecticut. This page has been viewed 409 times since then and 42 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on October 23, 2019, by Alan M. Perrie of Unionville, Connecticut. 3, 4. submitted on December 22, 2025, by Adam Margolis of Mission Viejo, California. • Michael Herrick was the editor who published this page.
