US Coast Guard Historical Lighthouse Documents

The US Coast Guard has a number of documents available via their historian's Office:

Lighthouses, Lightships, Tenders & Other Aids to Navigation Subjects

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Lighthouses & Light Stations:

Light Stations: Information & Historic Photography

A history of the Lighthouse Act of 1789, written by the U.S. Senate's Historical Office (pdf file)

U.S. Lighthouse Service Chronology, 1716-1939

Lighthouse Subject Files Held by the Historian's Office

Light Station Files Held by the Historian's Office (Alphabetical Listing): Word doc; pdf file

Light Station Files Held by the Historian's Office (Listed by State): Word doc; pdf file

Lighthouse Evolution & Typology

Lighthouses, Lightships, & Aids to Navigation Bibliography

Interesting Lighthouse Facts

U.S. Lighthouse Service Uniforms

Lighthouses Then & Now

Women Lighthouse Keepers

Lighthouses & Other Aids to Navigation in Alaskan History (pdf file)

Historically Famous Lighthouses, CG-232 (pdf)

Remaining Lighthouses: Provided by the U.S. Lighthouse Society

Teachers: a Guide to Teaching About Lighthouses, Kindergarten Through the Fourth Grade (pdf)

Teachers: A Gallery of Lighthouse Images (pdf)

Researching Lighthouses & Keepers?

So you'd like to buy a lighthouse or become a lighthouse keeper?

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Official U.S. Lighthouse Service Documents & Publications:

U.S. Lighthouse Service Uniform Regulations, 1893

U.S. Lighthouse Service Discharge Certificate, Lighthouse-Board Form 77, dated 1904

U.S. Lighthouse Service Tender Painting Regulations (only excerpt of relevant sections of the 1914 U.S. Lighthouse Service Regulations regarding the painting of tenders and lightships)

U. S. Lighthouse Service Uniform Regulations, 1920

U.S. Lighthouse Service Tender Painting Regulations (only excerpt of relevant sectionsof the 1927 U.S. Lighthouse Service Regulations regarding the painting of tenders and lightships)

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Lightships:

Lightship Index

Five lightship sailors describe what life was like on the Chesapeake Lightship during the 1930's.

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Long Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN):

LORAN Index

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Buoys & Buoy-Lighthouse Tenders:

Buoys & Tenders: A History; by Amy K. Marshall; based on her Master's Thesis (next entry)

"Frequently Close to the Point of Peril: A History of Buoys and Tenders in U.S. Coastal Waters, 1789-1939." A Master's Thesis by Amy K. Marshall (pdf).

"U.S. Coast Guard 133-Foot Buoy Tenders": The illustrated HAER Report for the National Park Service on the White-class buoy tenders; the report contains a detailed history of this class of tender, including historic photographs as well as a complete set of plans. (pdf file).

"U.S. Coast Guard 180-Foot Buoy Tenders": The HAER Report for the National Park Service on the 180-foot buoy tenders; the report contains a detailed history of this class of tender, including historic photographs as well as a complete set of plans. (pdf file)

"U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fir (WLM-212): A Lighthouse Buoy Tender for the Pacific Northwest." The illustrated National Park Service HAER Report on this historic Coast Guard tender. (pdf file)

Sea Going & Coastal Buoy Tenders, A Historic Photo Gallery

Inland, River & Construction Tenders, A History Photo Gallery

- Found on the US Coast Guard website

US - Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse

Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse, New York City, United States

The lighthouse was erected in 1880 as the North Hook Beacon at Sandy Hook, New Jersey, where it stood until 1917. It was reconstructed in 1921 in its current location by the United States Bureau of Lighthouses as part of a project to improve Hudson River navigational aids, and was in operation until 1947.

The proposed dismantling of the lighthouse in 1951 resulted in a public outcry, largely from fans of Swift's book, leading to the preservation of the lighthouse by the City of New York/Parks & Recreation. The lighthouse is now a New York City landmark (New York City Landmarks Preservation Commission) and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. There are tours on an infrequent basis, especially on the Little Red Lighthouse Festival day in mid-September and Open House New York day in October. - Wikipedia

Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse - New York City




'The Little Red Lighthouse'


Here is the book that made this lighthouse famous:

The Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse, erected in 1880 and moved to its current site in 1921, has become widely known as the children's literary landmark, "The Little Red Lighthouse." The story of the lighthouse in Fort Washington Park was popularized by the children's book The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, by Hildegarde H. Swift with illustrations by Lynd Ward, published in 1942. In this fictional account of Jeffrey's Hook lighthouse, the structure was presented as a symbol of the significance of a small thing in a big world. The lighthouse became a celebrated "child's landmark," representing importance and permanence, after the proposed removal of the lighthouse in 1951. The public outcry of children and their allies prompted the preservation of the structure through its transfer to the jurisdiction of the City of New York/Parks & Recreation. - New York City Department of Parks & Recreation

You could say that the book saved the lighthouse, and we are all better off for it!

Little Red Lighthouse - Wikipedia

Jeffrey's Hook Lighthouse, Fort Washington Park - NY Dept of Parks

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US - Execution Rocks Lighthouse

Execution Rocks Lighthouse, United States

I have sailed past this light many times both during the day and at night.

Possible Origin of the Name:

The name of this reef is reported to be due to a British practice during the Revolutionary War of killing prisoners on the reef by chaining them to the rocks and allowing the high tide to drown them (no one knows how true that may be). Prior to 1850, there had been lights on this reef, but none were official or reliable. The original structure was designed by architect Alexander Parris. This light is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. - Long Island Lighthouses

Execution Rocks Lighthouse is a large lighthouse in Long Island Sound, north of Sands Point. It stands 55 feet tall, with a flashing white light interval of 10 seconds. Built of granite, the tower is painted white with a brown band around its midsection. Beside it stands a stone keeper's house, no longer inhabited since the beacon became automated.

The lighthouse's site got its name before the American Revolutionary War. British colonial authorities executed people by chaining them to the rocks at low tide, allowing the rising water to drown them. - Wikipedia

Google Images: "Execution Rocks"

Execution Rocks Lighthouse - Wikipedia


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US - Point No Point Light

Point No Point Light, Maryland, United States:

Point No Point Light, located in the Chesapeake Bay off the eponymous point several miles north of the mouth of the Potomac River, was constructed as part of a program to add lighted navigational aids in a thirty mile stretch of the bay between Cove and Smith Points. - Wikipedia

Then




Now
Yes, for sale, or maybe not for sale:

Offshore lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay - disposal includes only the lighthouse. -PLEASE NOTE- The bidding has been temporarily suspended due to the fact that the Navy has notified GSA that the lighthouse serves as a boundary marker for the Navy's restricted area danger zone as defined in 33 CFR 334.200. For complete details, please read the Addendum #2, which can be downloaded from this page - US Government

Here is an extract from the Addendum:

1) Bidding is hereby temporarily suspended. The Department of Navy (Navy) has notified the General Services Administration (GSA) that the Point No Point Lighthouse serves as a boundary marker for the Navy’s restricted area danger zone as defined in 33 CFR 334.200 (see attached). Further, the Navy has informed GSA that it may require additional deed restrictions for the use of the lighthouse. Those will be made available to all registered bidders and posted on www.auctionrp.com as soon as they are made available to GSA.

So despite living on an 'island' you still are going to have a neighbor, and it sounds like a nagging one at that. Then again, you could be buying front-row tickets for... something.

H/t to Private Islands Blog where I saw this story first.

US - Pigeon Point Lighthouse

Pigeon Point Light Station, California, United States:

Perched on a cliff on the central California coast, 50 miles south of San Francisco, the 115-foot Pigeon Point Lighthouse, one of the tallest lighthouses in America, has been guiding mariners since 1872. Its five-wick lard oil lamp, and first-order Fresnel lens, comprised of 1,008 prisms, was first lit at sunset, November 15, 1872. The lens stands 16 feet tall, 6 feet in diameter, and weighs 8,000 pounds. It sits in a lantern room that had been constructed at the Lighthouse Service's general depot in New York before being shipped around the Horn. Although the original Fresnel lens is no longer in use, the lighthouse is still an active U.S. Coast Guard aid to navigation using a 24 inch Aero Beacon. - California State Parks

Needs some paint.

This is a little more dramatic photo of the lighthouse:

Once per year at the Pigeon Point Lighthouse they shut down the weak insipid modern (presumably electric) light and switch over the the 5 kerosene lamps and fresnel lens of the original, as it was 135 years ago.

Last night was the night, and it's really quite a sight. When they fire it up there's really a collective sense of "whoa!" from the audience (which was WAY bigger than I expected - I probably had to park a mile away and I was there an hour early). - MumbleyJoe's photos, Flickr

Go read the rest on how he managed to take the photo. Here is some more on the light source:

The lantern room of the tower is equipped with the original first-order Fresnel lens. Infrequently used today, the lens has 24 flash panels, is composed of 1008 hand-polished lenses and prisms, and is capable of producing over 500,000 candlepower illumination. It was manufactured by the Henry-LePaute company in Paris, and was first lit at Pigeon Point at sunset on November 15, 1872.

Originally the tower was equipped with a lamp that burned refined lard oil. In 1888, that lamp was replaced with a mineral oil (kerosene) lamp. To produce Pigeon Point's assigned characteristic of 1 white flash of light every 10 seconds, the four ton lens rotated one time every four minutes. When observed from a distance, this resulted in the appearance of one white flash of light every 10 seconds. The lens rotation was originally powered by a clockwork and weight. In 1926 the lighthouse was provided electricity. Modern innovations were incorporated and the kerosene IOV lamp was replaced by a 1000 watt bulb, the clockwork by an electric motor, and an electrically operated fog signal was eventually installed. - Wiki

Lighthouses are of course meant to be lit, not that you would know it with 99% of lighthouse photos taken during the day!

H/t to Never Sea Land where I originally spotted this lighthouse.

Australia - Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse

Sugarloaf Point Lighthouse, Australia:

The Sugarloaf Lighthouse was completed in 1875, ten years after it was first recommended a light be placed to highlight the nearby Seal Rocks. It was originally intended to place the light on Seal Rocks but landing was difficult the proposition was abandoned.

The tower is constructed of brick, rendered and painted white. Also constructed were three adjoining cottages, various outbuildings, the construction of the road from Bungwahl, and a 1500 foot long jetty which was used to land some 1800 tons of building supplies and materials.. - Lighthouses of Australia Inc (Click for more photos and details)

(Photograph: Annette Flotwell)

You don't often see short lighthouses. Seems that the tall ones get all the attention. Actually, they are kind of cool. I guess these are for you if you like lighthouses and are afraid of heights.

Google Images: "Sugarloaf Point lighthouse"

Lighthouses of Australia Inc
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Montauk Point Lighthouse

Montauk Point Lighthouse, United States:

Welcome to the Montauk Point Lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse in New York State. The Lighthouse was authorized by the Second Congress, under President George Washington in 1792. Construction began on June 7, 1796 and was completed on November 5, 1796. This historic landmark has been part of Long Island's land and seascape for over 200 years and still serves as an active aid to navigation. - Montauk Point Lighthouse

Construction on the lighthouse was authorized by the Second United States Congress, under President George Washington in 1792. Construction began on June 7, 1796, and was completed on November 5, 1796. The lighthouse and adjacent Camp Hero were heavily fortified with huge guns during World War I and World War II. Those gun emplacements and concrete observation bunkers (which are also at nearby Shadmoor State Park) are still visible.

It was the first lighthouse in New York State, and is the fourth-oldest active lighthouse in the United States. The tower is 110' 6" high. The current light, equivalent to 2,500,000 candle power, flashes every 5 seconds and can be seen a distance of 18 nautical miles (33 km). - Wikipedia

Montauk Point Lighthouse Official website

Google Images: "montauk lighthouse"
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