More Lighthouse History
Bremerhaven, Germany
As Germany's largest coastal town, Bremerhaven is a bustling center of commerce and an exciting port of call. The majestic castle like lighthouse boasts an amazing architecture and a unique appearance, making the sentinel an unforgettable sight. Reminiscent of ancient fortresses and historic architecture, Bremerhaven lighthouse proudly welcomes all travelers to its homeland.
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Cape St. George, FL
Hurricane Opal and subsequent storms left this 1852 tower at an 8 to 10 degree slant. The interior could actually be reached by climbing thought the foundation. Today, it holds the honor of being Florida's oldest "as built" lighthouse and has recently been straightened" by dedicated preservationists who plan to restore this sentinel.
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Cedar Key, FL
On the island of Seahorse Key, in the Cedar Keys, is a magical Wildlife Refuge. Officials erected a lighthouse amid all of this natural beauty in 1854 to warn mariners of the shallow beaches. Many attempts were made to tame this magnificent island, but as each resort was erected, a hurricane struck, leaving only the lighthouse standing, and preserving the island for the wildlife to enjoy.
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Charleston, SC (Sullivan's Island Lighthouse)
As the only sentinel in the United States with an elevator, Charleston (also known as Sullivan's Island) is indeed a modern marvel, while being the last traditional style lighthouse to be built in the United States. Standing 165-foot tall, Sullivan's Island lighthouse was built in 1962 to replace the beacon on Morris Island.
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Cleveland Light, OH
This castle-like sentinel once stood as an American fortress, casting its light from atop a hill overlooking Lake Erie. Illuminated in 1838, the beacon worked in tandem with a nearby pier light but eventually became indistinguishable from other land light sources and was decommissioned. Cleveland Light is gone, but not forgotten.
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Cold Spring Harbor, NY
Perched on a perilous shoal 1500 yards off Center Island Entrance to Cold Spring Harbor, stood a lighthouse, 44 feet above sea level, flashing its fourth order Fresnel lens from a square wood tower. It served mariners from 1890 to 1965, when it was relocated ashore.
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Coney Island Light, NY
Coney Island Lighthouse is home to Frank Schubert, a man well in his eighties who is the last civilian lighthouse keeper in the United States. His commission began in 1986 and since then he has continued to maintain the grounds, deter vandals, and reset the automated light mechanisms in the event of a storm.
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East Point, NJ
East Point Lighthouse in New Jersey stood dark and abandoned for almost forty years until a group of concerned citizens formed the Maurice River Historical Society and rebuilt the aging sentinel. East Point Lighthouse is the last remaining lighthouse on the New Jersey side of the Delaware Bay.
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Eddystone, UK
Henry Winstanley, a London entrepreneur, lost two of his ships to the Eddystone Rock and decided to build a lighthouse to mark the hazard. It was a tremendous feat, as it was only 30 feet across and barely rose out of the waves at high tide. Five different light houses have stood on this rock, until the final tower was built of stone in 1882 and still stands today.
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Long Beach Bar, NY (Buglight)
Mariners have long referred to the beacon on Long Beach Bar as "Bug Light", because of its spindly "legs" and insect-like appearance. In 1938, a hurricane destroyed the lighthouse and for many years thereafter, the spot would be marked on charts as "Lighthouse Ruins." The East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation rebuilt the lighthouse in a mere 60 days.
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Los Angeles Harbor, CA (San Pedro Harbor Light)
In order to calm the incoming ocean swells in the Los Angeles Harbor and to create a safe haven for ships, workers built a 9,250 foot-long breakwater using 3 million tons of rock. Their next step was to build a lighthouse at the tip to warn vessels of the out cropping. Originally known as San Pedro Harbor Light, the rotating green light cast its light from a focal plane of 73 feet.
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Marshall Point Lighthouse, ME
As many as 12,000 people a year visit the museum, which is part of the Colonial Revival keeper's house at Marshall Point Lighthouse. It even had a bit part in the movie Forrest Gump. In one scene, Tom Hanks runs the footbridge out to the light tower, then turns around to run back across the nation.
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Old Michigan City, IN
Harriet Colfax stood watch over Michigan City for 43 years, maintaining meticulous records and establishing a reputation for efficiency. Harriet reluctantly accepted retirement at the age of 80. Workers remodeled the original lighthouse and installed an improved fog signal. They moved the lantern from the lighthouse to the tower on the pier, where it is located today. But there wasn't room for a keeper's dwelling out on the pier, so a walkway was installed connecting the lighthouse to the shore.
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New Dungeness, WA
Since September of 1994, the New Dungeness Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society has held a license to man and maintain the lighthouse. The volunteer keepers clean the station, make repairs, maintain the grounds and conduct tours for those daring visitors who brave the long trek across the five and a half mile spit.
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Point Allerton Life Saving Station, MA
The United States Life Saving Stations, known as the sister to the Lighthouse Service, worked hand in hand with lighthouse keepers to watch over our coasts and rescue any shipwreck victims. The brave Surf men manning the stations would retrieve survivors no matter how severe the weather conditions. Their motto was "You have to go out but you don't have to come back."
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Portsmouth Harbor, NH
Officials established a light station at Fort William and Mary on Newcastle Island in 1771. Three years later, Paul Revere rode from Boston to Portsmouth to warn residents of Britain's plans to reinforce the Fort, resulting in one of the first battles of the American Revolution. Connie Small, the "First Lady of Light" turned 100 years young on June 4, 2001. This centenarian has been faithfully keeping the flame since 1920. Harbour Lights dedicates the beautiful Portsmouth Harbor sculpture to her.
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Sankaty Head, MA
Although the large, efficient 2nd-order Fresnel lens in this lighthouse burned the equivalent of a small harbor light's oil, it was one of the brightest beacons of its time. Local mariners were so impressed with the penetrating light that they sometimes called Sankaty the "Rocket Light" or "Blazing Star".
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Seguin Island, ME
Tucked away in the northeast comer of the United States, perched high on its very own island, sits a lighthouse as thickly cloaked in lore and mystery as it is in the area's notorious fog. President George Washington ordered the first Sequin Island Light, finished in 1795 for $6,300. At 186 feet above sea level, it is Maine's highest light, and one of the country's oldest.
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Sherwood Point, WI
Stephen Sostaric, an avid Harbour Lights collector, won the opportunity to choose a lighthouse for Harbour Lights to produce in the 2000 Register and Win Contest. During his Door County travels, he encountered several memorable sentinels, but chose Sherwood Point because of its unique fog signal building and because of an icy mishap, making his selection a personal one.
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St. Helena Light, MI
For the St. Helena Lighthouse, located on a 240-acre uninhibited island in Lake Michigan, hope for survival came in the form of a regiment of dedicated and industrious Boy Scouts. During 1989 and 1990, troops 4 and 61 of Ann Arbor and Troop 200 of Calumet Laurium literally set up camp and spent more than 1400 hours cleaning, planting, scraping, building, and sanding. Four of the Scouts earned their Eagle Scout Badges at St. Helena. Keep Michigan Beautiful, Inc. presented one of its top awards to the troops. They were named both a state and national winner in the annual Take Pride In America awards program.
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Yerba Buena Island Light, CA (Goat Island)
The Yerba Buena light stands on the southeastern end of Yerba Buena Island, in San Francisco Bay, which was once called Goat Island because of the large herd of goats that ran wild there. The gorgeous, gothic duplex is now home for high-ranking U.S. Coast Guard officials and the lovely, octagonal beacon adds its inevitable charm.
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