National Lighthouse Museum

12/02/2023

[Lighthouse of the Week] Introducing the Halfmoon Reef Lighthouse of Texas! Read on to learn more:

It still welcomes visitors to Port Lavaca. However, having been moved ashore from its perch above the waters of Matagorda Bay, it now performs that function for travelers entering Port Lavaca from the east on Highway 35, rather than for mariners arriving from the gulf.

After Matagorda Island Lighthouse began guiding traffic into Matagorda Bay in 1852, requests were made for additional lights to mark channels and obstacles in the bay itself. Complying with the demands, the Lighthouse Board successfully petitioned Congress in 1854 for funds to construct a light on the southern tip of Halfmoon Reef, a shoal on the eastern side of Matagorda Bay. Two years passed before the plans, which called for the construction of a screwpile lighthouse, were finalized. The lighthouse would consist of a wooden, hexagonal structure, sixteen feet on a side, surmounted by a lantern room and supported by seven, twenty-five-foot iron piles. On one end, the piles had threads, two feet in diameter, which facilitated screwing the piles into the shoal to a depth of nine feet.

The piles arrived at Matagorda Bay early in 1858, having been shipped to Galveston from Baltimore aboard the same vessel that carried the cast iron extensions for the Matagorda and Bolivar Point Lighthouses. Halfmoon Reef Lighthouse was completed by July 1, when it began operation. A fixed white light produced by a sixth-order Fresnel lens shone from the lantern room. However, mariners claimed that as they sailed in the gulf along the Matagorda Peninsula dunes would periodically obscure Halfmoon Reef Light, creating a flashing signature like that of the nearby Matagorda Island Lighthouse. To eliminate the confusion, a ruby red glass chimney was used in the oil lamp, changing the characteristic of Halfmoon Reef Light to red.

Thanks for reading, stay tuned for next week's lighthouse! Also be sure to check out our EVENTS to see what's coming up this holiday season~

11/25/2023

Stop by tomorrow for our Museum Store Sunday & Holiday Market. Book readings with Tracy Blom and a Kid's Craft.
Refreshments, Cookies, Visits from Santa. FREE Admission.

11/22/2023

[DON'T FORGET] Come participate in our 9 hole holiday golf outing on December 1st, from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm!
11:30 am kick off with delicious bagels, donuts & coffee, 12:30 pm tee off, featured raffles, best ball Scramble, 50/50 raffles, longest drive, closest to pin, straightest drive, & lowest score prizes!
And an all-you-can eat and drink BBQ lunch with hot dogs, hamburgers, & chicken, hot chocolate, coffee and open bar!
Tickets
$100.00 Per Golfer
$50.00 BBQ Lunch Only
Venue
South Shore Golf Course
(Grand Oaks Country Club)
Interested in being a sponsor? Click on the link in our bio for more information and tickets!

11/21/2023

11/21/2023

[Lighthouse of the Week🔦] Introducing the Conimicut Lighthouse of Rhode Island!

Point Shoal was established in 1868, when a lantern room and a fourth-order Fresnel lens were placed atop a granite tower that had been built on the shoal in 1866 as a daymark to guide navigators transiting between Narragansett Bay and the Providence River. The tower’s light allowed the nearby Nayatt Point Lighthouse, which had been established in 1828, to be discontinued.

Even before the granite tower on Conimicut Point Shoal was complete, captains and owners of vessels sent a petition to the Lighthouse Board asking that a light be exhibited therefrom. On March 2, 1867, Congress provided $15,000 “to make such alterations in the day beacon at Conimicut Point, Providence River, as to fit it for the exhibition of a light.” These alterations included increasing the height of the granite tower and arranging the necessary watch and store rooms. On November 1, 1868, the Fresnel lens was removed from Nayatt Point Lighthouse and placed in Conimicut Point Lighthouse, which was activated for the first time that evening. Besides a fixed white light, the lighthouse also had a fog bell that was struck at regular intervals during periods of limited visibility.

While the addition of a lighthouse closer to the channel was a blessing for ships navigating the Providence River, it was a nuisance for keepers assigned to the station, as living quarters had not been included in the plans. Keeper Davis Perry and his assistant were forced to row back and forth to the quarters at Nayatt Point Lighthouse. The mile-long trip had to be made in a small rowboat, often while fighting dangerous currents and avoiding ship traffic.

On March 3, 1873, Congress appropriated $15,000 for a dwelling at Conimicut Lighthouse, “Provided, that upon completion of said dwelling the Secretary of the Treasury is authorized and directed to sell, at public auction, after due notice, and either in one parcel or divided into lots, the land constituting the site of the old light-station at Nayat Point.” A keeper’s dwelling was accordingly added at Conimicut Shoal on a pier just north of the tower, and the old dwelling at Nayatt was placed under the care of a custodian. In March 1875, Keeper Horace Arnold and his son barely escaped the dwelling as “a heavy field of floating ice” crashed into pier the supported it.

Thanks for reading, and stay tuned for next week's lighthouse feature!

11/16/2023

[Lighthouse of the Week] Introducing the Grand Marais Lighthouse of Minnesota! Keep on reading to learn more 👇

The 1854 Treaty of La Pointe opened up the northern shore of Lake Superior to settlement, and Richard B. Godfrey, an independent fur trader from Detroit, arrived in Grand Marais that same year. Two years later, in 1856, he became Grand Marais’ first postmaster. Native Americans called the place “double bay” for the two bays formed by a T-shaped point that projects into Lake Superior. The French name Grand Marais, meaning Great Marsh, was applied to the site due to a marsh at the head of the west bay.

On May 26, 1856, a memorial from the citizens of Minnesota Territory was presented to the U.S. House of Representatives, praying for lighthouses at Beaver Bay and Grand Marais on Lake Superior’s northern shore. The matter was referred to the Committee on Commerce, and Congress appropriated $6,000 on August 18, 1856 for each of the two lighthouses. After an examination of the sites, the need for the lighthouses was found insufficient to warrant their construction. Not long thereafter, Godfrey left Grand Marais, and it was until 1871 that Henry Mayhew and Sam Howenstine, the two individuals considered the founders of the city, arrived.

A bill for harbor improvements at Grand Maris was passed by Congress in 1873, and the project was initiated in 1879. A 300-foot-long breakwater was extended westward from Mayhew’s Point to narrow the harbor’s entrance and thus provide an area of greater shelter for vessels inside the port. In addition, the harbor was dredged to a depth of sixteen feet to create the first harbor of refuge on the north shore. The breakwater was completed in 1883, and during a storm the following year, eleven vessels sought shelter in the harbor.

Stay tuned for next week's lighthouse and for posts on upcoming museum events!

11/13/2023

[DON'T FORGET] Come participate in our 9 hole holiday golf outing on December 1st, from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm!

11:30 am kick off with delicious bagels, donuts & coffee, 12:30 pm tee off, featured raffles, best ball Scramble, 50/50 raffles, longest drive, closest to pin, straightest drive, & lowest score prizes!
And an all-you-can eat and drink BBQ lunch with hot dogs, hamburgers, & chicken, hot chocolate, coffee and open bar!

Tickets
$100.00 Per Golfer
$50.00 BBQ Lunch Only

Venue
South Shore Golf Course
(Grand Oaks Country Club)

Interested in being a sponsor? Click on the link in our bio for more information and tickets!

11/09/2023

[UPCOMING EVENT] This Saturday - November 11 from
11 am - 3 pm, join us for Demonstrations & Displays from the NJ Model Ship Club!

Location: 200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point
Staten Island, NY 10301

11/04/2023

[Lighthouse of the Week] Introducing the Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse, Delaware! Keep reading to learn more 👇

Under the authority of the Secretary of War, a commission of three officers of the Corps of Engineers was charged in 1890 with determining the best site near the mouth of Delaware Bay for a national harbor of refuge for deep-draft vessels. The Delaware Breakwater, which was constructed over a forty-year period starting in 1829, provided an anchorage with a depth of about sixteen feet at low tide, but that was too shallow for several new military and commercial vessels. The commission recommended a “deep-water pocket on the west side of the main ship channel, covered by the shoal known as the ‘Shears,’ as the best one for satisfying the required conditions.”

Work on the Harbor of Refuge Breakwater began on May 4, 1897, and quite amazingly, was completed on December 11, 1901 at a cost of roughly $2.2 million. In addition to the 7,950-foot-long breakwater, a set of ice piers was also constructed across the upper end of the harbor to provide protection from ice descending the bay. Being located roughly midway between New York Harbor and the entrance to Chesapeake Bay, the safe harbor allowed ships to put to sea in questionable weather conditions knowing that protection could be found in Delaware Bay.

Left unmarked, the breakwater would present a danger to navigation, so temporary lights were placed on each end of the structure. A thirty-foot frame tower topped by a lens lantern showing a fixed red light was positioned on the southeast end of the breakwater, while at the opposite end a beacon with the same characteristic was mounted atop a post. Both lights were exhibited for the first time on January 1, 1902. In May 1903, a 700-pound fog bell, sounded by a striking machine, was added to the southern end of the breakwater along with a temporary dwelling.

Stay tuned for next week's feature, and don't forget to check out the museum's upcoming events!

11/03/2023

Stop by tonight for First Friday Bingo! Includes 2 games of bingo, with 3 rounds each starting at 6pm and 7pm.

10/27/2023

Read our Fall 2023 National Lighthouse Museum Newsletter! See our summer event photos and learn more about our upcoming events.
https://www.flipsnack.com/lighthousemuseum/nlm-newsletter-fall-2023web/full-view.html

You can also download a copy here:https://lighthousemuseum.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/NLM-Newsletter-FALL-2023WEB.pdf

10/24/2023

[LIGHTHOUSE OF THE WEEK] Introducing the picturesque Yerba Beuna Lighthouse of California!

It has been said that the small island situated roughly midway between Oakland and San Francisco has had as many names as a modern divorcée, and also in like fashion, has reclaimed a former name. The island was reportedly first known as Sea Bird Island, but later, it would be named for two other island dwellers often seen on its steep slopes. The early Spaniards called the island Yerba Buena, translated good herb, in reference to the curative powers of a mint found growing on the island. When the forty-niners startled settling in the area, goats were pastured on the island, and soon the island was being called Goat Island.

The Board of Geographic Names officially changed the island’s name from Yerba Buena Island to Goat Island in 1912, which caused Harry W. Rhodes, Inspector of Lighthouses in California, to remark: “It is my opinion that the people of San Francisco and vicinity will regret that the geographic board has changed the name of the island.” He was correct, and around 1931 the old Spanish name was officially restored. A resident sailor was dressed up as a goat and ceremoniously pushed into the bay, signaling the end of the name Goat Island.

The island’s lighthouse connection began in 1873 when the Lighthouse Service moved the district’s depot from Mare Island, at the mouth of the Napa River, to the southeast side of Yerba Buena Island. From the depot, a lighthouse tender was regularly dispatched to the light stations up and down the coast. The arrival of the lighthouse tender at a station was a mixed blessing. Not only did it bring desired items like paychecks, mail, food and other supplies for operating the station, but it also brought the notoriously strict lighthouse inspector, who would give the station a thorough going-over. The lighthouse tenders Shubrick, Manzanita, and Madrono were assigned to the depot over the years. Later, the depot was also used to service lightships, which were situated near dangerous sections of the west coast where it was impractical to build a lighthouse. [end]

Thanks for reading! Tune in to our page for next week's feature and upcoming museum events!

10/24/2023

SOLD OUT‼️

We are officially sold out for our last boat tour of 2023. Thank you so much for your support!
👉 Keep following our page to be the first to know about next year’s boat tour schedule.

10/24/2023

Ghosts, Murder and Mayhem Along the Hudson River
National Lighthouse Museum
Meeting at the "Fast Ferry", located on the water, by the 1 Bay Street area
October 28 @ 11am

Join, if you dare….on a memorable Halloween maritime tour and discover macabre, often terrifying tales of murder, mayhem and piracy associated with the history of the mighty Hudson River. Immerse yourself in the Halloween spirit and dress in your favorite costume. Enjoy an eerie and haunting look at maritime madness as we journey up the Hudson past the Little Red Lighthouse to the famed Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse exploring key sights and the origin of legends and tales that would establish for Irving his reputation as America’s premiere writer.

Fore more information and to purchase tickets, please visit: https://lighthousemuseum.org/event/ghosts-murder-and-mayhem-along-the-hudson-river/

10/17/2023

[BOAT TOUR] Saturday, October 28th • 11am-2pm
Join us, if you dare…and embark on a memorable Halloween maritime tour and discover macabre, often terrifying tales of murder, mayhem and piracy associated with the history of the mighty Hudson River.
Immerse yourself in the Halloween spirit and dress in your favorite costume. We will journey up the Hudson past the Little Red Lighthouse to the famed Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse exploring key sights, and the origin of legends and tales that would establish for Irving his reputation as America’s premiere writer.
Purchase tickets using the link on our profile page!

10/16/2023

/openhousenewyork We’re opening our doors for the 21st Annual Open House New York Weekend! Visit us Saturday, Oct 21 or Sunday, Oct 22 from 11 am - 4 pm. Learn more here: ohny.org/weekend

Visit the National Lighthouse Museum, and experience the legacy of our maritime sentinels! Located on the grounds of the former United States Lighthouse Establishment General Service “Super” Supply Depot on the North Shore of Staten Island, we collects and preserve objects related to the history of lighthouses throughout the United States, and educate the public on the vital role these watchtowers play in helping ships to navigate along dangerous coastlines and into potentially treacherous harbors.

30-minute walking tours of the seven remaining buildings onsite, which date from 1864 to 1912, are available on the hour from 1pm to 4pm. A brief orientation to our self-guided museum will also be provided. Tour highlights include the 1868 oil vaults and the main office building designed by US Treasury Department architect Alfred B. Mullett. Tours are first-come, first-served.

10/16/2023

[LIGHTHOUSE OF THE WEEK] Today, we bring you the beautiful two-story, brick keepers’ dwelling and the white, 104-foot tower on St. Simons Island, Georgia!

Today, it may seem like the idyllic light station, but such was not always the case. The station was considered isolated before being linked to the mainland, and one of the head keepers was murdered on the lighthouse grounds. In addition, stagnant ponds on the island provided the perfect breeding grounds for disease-carrying mosquitoes, which led to the death of two men overseeing construction of the lighthouse.

Congress appropriated $7,000 on March 16, 1804 for a lighthouse on Saint Simons Island, and John Couper, owner of a plantation on the southern end of the island, sold four acres of his land to the government later that year for a token sum of one dollar. Couper was anxious that a lighthouse be built on the island to aid commerce in the Brunswick area.

The original appropriation reverted to the treasury in 1806, but Congress provided the much larger sum of $19,000 on March 3, 1807 for the project. In April 1807, Couper’s plan of getting a lighthouse on his property seemed to have worked as a notice appeared in the Savannah Advertiser soliciting a builder with sufficient skills to erect a lighthouse on the southern end of St. Simons Island. The plans called for a lighthouse constructed of brick in the form of an octagon, supported by a stone foundation and secured by a substantial panel door with iron hinges.

James Gould, newly arrived from New England, answered the ad and suggested that the tower be constructed of tabby, a local building material made from a mixture of lime, water, sand and oyster shells, and that some other minor alterations to the design be made. Gould’s suggestions were accepted, and he was awarded the contract.

Tune in for our next featured lighthouse...

10/15/2023

[BOAT TOUR] Saturday, October 28th • 11am-2pm
Join us, if you dare…and embark on a memorable Halloween maritime tour and discover macabre, often terrifying tales of murder, mayhem and piracy associated with the history of the mighty Hudson River.
Immerse yourself in the Halloween spirit and dress in your favorite costume. We will journey up the Hudson past the Little Red Lighthouse to the famed Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse exploring key sights, and the origin of legends and tales that would establish for Irving his reputation as America’s premiere writer.
Purchase tickets using the link on our profile page!

10/15/2023

10/05/2023

FIRST FRIDAYS! Kick off Spooky Season with us! Friday, October 6th! Admission is FREE every First Friday of the month from 5:30pm-8:30pm.

10/01/2023

[UPCOMING] Join the NLM on Sunday, October 15th at 2 PM to experience an intriguing author talk and book signing featuring “THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPER’S DAUGHTER: The Definitive Biography of Ida Lewis”, written by Lenore Skomal.

Born in 1842, Ida Lewis assumed the keeping of Lime Rock Light in Newport, RI at the tender age of 15. Set against the backdrop of a country in turmoil and progress, including the Civil War and the Women’s Suffrage Movement, Ida’s seemingly unexceptional life took a drastic turn when the world discovered that she’d been silently saving the lives of countless sailors. Fame took her in hand and, overnight, she became an international sensation. Something she neither wanted nor got accustomed to. Filmmaker Nico Raineau has adapted a screenplay based on Skomal’s book, to be produced as a major motion picture.

Click on the link in our profile to book your tickets!

Located on Staten Island, we promote the history, education, and culture of lighthouses worldwide.

10/01/2023

COME JOIN TODAY: Sunday, October 1, 12-6 pm
Lighthouse Point Fest 2023
200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point

09/23/2023

[Lighthouse of the Week🔦] Introducing the Matagorda Island Lighthouse of Texas. You heard it right, Texas!

Though hard to imagine today, the port of Indianola was once the second busiest in Texas, next only to Galveston. Indianola is located in Matagorda Bay, and to reach the port, ships had to pass through Pass Cavallo, a gap between Matagorda Peninsula and Matagorda Island. The Republic of Texas recognized the need to mark this entrance, and the tip of Matagorda Island was considered an ideal location for a lighthouse.
The history of Matagorda Island Lighthouse closely parallels that of its twin tower at Galveston. Before it made significant steps towards lighting its shores, the Republic of Texas was annexed by the United States, and the federal government assumed responsibility for navigational aids along the Texas coast. Congress set aside fifteen thousand dollars on March 3, 1847 for lights at Texas’ two busiest ports, but over five years would pass before the lighthouses became a reality.
First, the Lighthouse Service had to negotiate the purchase of acreage on Matagorda Island, which was accomplished by 1848. Next, the government of Texas was required to cede jurisdiction over the property before construction on the lighthouse could commence. The necessary bill was passed by the state legislature in 1849, but the governor failed to sign the document until September 29, 1851.
With the bureaucratic hurdles cleared, the firm of Murray and Hazlehurst in Baltimore started casting the iron sections that would create the fifty-five-foot tower. The necessary materials arrived at Matagorda Island during the summer of 1852, and the iron tower, with a brick lining, quickly started to rise above the island. A wooden dwelling was built nearby for Keeper James Cummings, who first lit the revolving array of reflecting lamps in the tower’s lantern room on December 31, 1852.

09/22/2023

[CALL FOR PARTICIPANTS] Lighthouses are worldwide and have the power to bring people together! 🎊
Our Lighthouse Point Festival is coming up on October 1st (12-6 pm). There is still time to sign up as a food vendor, non-profit organization, or arts vendor.
We also have a lighthouse model contest! We would also welcome any cultural performances, whether it be singing, playing an instrument, or dancing. 🤩

Please email [email protected] , or visit the second or third buttons on the Taplink in our profile to access the sign-up forms + more info. 📩

Casual goers are encouraged to bring friends and family to experience different aspects of various cultures, including food, live performances, and vendors. 😄

09/22/2023

[UPCOMING EVENT] International Lighthouse Point Fest 🎊
Lighthouses are worldwide and have the power to bring people together! During this festival, you’ll get to experience different aspects of various cultures including food, live performances, and vendors. Bring your families and friends for a day of fun and educational entertainment!

Basic vendor information along with fees are listed in the graphic below. Additionally, if you would be interested in entering our Lighthouse Model Contest or sharing a cultural performance/free food samples, please email [email protected] 📩 More info coming tonight in our post.

Please share this post with anyone who may be interested 😄

09/17/2023

🎊 HAPPENING RIGHT NOW! Drop by at the Fig Fest (until 6PM) at the National Lighthouse Museum!
Come with friends and family for entertainment, food, and vendors. We'd love to see you there 🤩
Entry: $5 suggested donation
Plus FREE entry into the museum!

09/16/2023

TOMORROW! Join us for laughs at the Fig Fest! 2-6pm, Comedy show starts at 3:30pm! At the National Lighthouse Museum plaza!

09/15/2023

We’re 2 days away from the 2023 Fig Fest, happening this Sunday at 2PM - 6PM at the National Lighthouse Museum!
Come with friends and family for entertainment, food, and vendors! A Fig King or Queen will be crowned...
Entry: $5 suggested donation
Plus FREE entry into the museum!

See ya there!

09/14/2023

👉 DON'T FORGET! Fig Fest is happening this Sunday from 2-6 PM at the National Lighthouse Museum. There will be entertainment, food, and vendors at this fest! A Fig King or Queen will be Crowned! 👑

$5.00 Suggested Donation
Plus FREE Entry into the museum.
We hope to see you guys there! 👋

09/12/2023

[LIGHTHOUSE OF THE WEEK🔦] [LOTW] This one's a beauty! Introducing the Southwest Reef Lighthouse of Louisiana:

The region southwest of New Orleans is known as Louisiana’s plantation country. Before the advent of the railroad, a good portion of the plantation crops was floated down Bayou Teche, which led from New Iberia to Atchafalaya Bay. By the early 1800s, shipping traffic from the bay had increased to the point were navigational aids were merited.

The first lighthouse on Atchafalaya Bay was built in 1827 on the eastern side of the bay at Point Au Fer, formerly known as Point Defer. From there, a shoal extends roughly fifteen miles westward, ending at what was the main channel into the bay. However, given its location, it proved inadequate at marking the bay’s entrance, and in 1848, Atchafalaya Bay Lightship was positioned just off the end of Point Au Fer Shoal.

Lightships proved to be expensive to operate and maintain, leading the Lighthouse Board to authorize the construction of Southwest Reef Lighthouse. On August 18, 1856, Congress appropriated $20,000 for a lighthouse "to serve as a substitute for the present Atchafalaya Bay light-ship, and also for the light-house at Point de Fer." The plans for the lighthouse called for a square, pyramidal tower constructed of iron plates surmounted by a lantern room. The tower was placed atop four vertical piles screwed into the shoal and contained the keeper's living space. A red light, produced by a fourth-order Fresnel lens and having a focal plane of forty-nine feet, was displayed for the first time on September 1, 1859. The first keeper, George Wright, was transferred from the Point Au Fer Lighthouse, which had been displaced by Southwest Reef Lighthouse.

The Confederates deactivated the lighthouse during its third year of operation, and it remained dark throughout the Civil War. Following the war, the Lighthouse Board noted that Southwest Reef Lighthouse had "sustained much damage from the rebels." Union forces discovered the lamps, lens, and plates of glass from the lantern room at St. Martinville. The items were returned to the tower during the summer of 1865, and the lighthouse, after being repaired and refitted, was reactivated on the sixth anniversary of its first lighting.

During January and February of 1867, the iron lighthouse, which had previously been red, was painted with coal tar, and black remained its daymark from then on. One must think that the lighthouse would have been unbearably hot during summer.

Thanks for reading!

09/07/2023

[LOTW🔦] Introducing the Milwaukee Pierhead Lighthouse of Wisconsin! Prepare yourself for a ton of interesting information...

Milwaukee is situated along a natural indentation on the western shore of Lake Michigan, where the Milwaukee, Menomonee, and Kinnickinnic Rivers merge before flowing into the lake. The city’s first lighthouse was built on a bluff about a mile north of the river’s mouth in 1838, but it was replaced by a lighthouse on North Point in 1855.
The sum of $500 was allocated in 1848 for a “bug light” on the government pier at Milwaukee, and a steamer lens was soon placed on the outer end of the pier at the mouth of the river for a cost of $195.66.
In 1852, the federal government appropriated $15,000 to improve the harbor at Milwaukee, and the following year, the citizens of the city voted to loan $50,000 for the project. A new entrance to the river, known as “North Cut” or “Straight Cut” was developed a half-mile north of the natural mouth of the river, and in its twenty-third session, Congress appropriated $1,000 for a small beacon light to mark the cut. The piers at North Cut were completed in 1858, and an inspection report that year described a twenty-foot-tall wooden frame tower that was six feet seven inches by eight feet at its base and six feet seven inches square at its lantern. The tower displayed a fixed white light focused by a sixth-order Fresnel lens.
In 1860, after a memorial from “shippers, navigators, and others” calling for an improved lighthouse at North Cut had been presented to the Committee of Commerce, Captain Raphael Seemes, secretary of the Lighthouse Board, communicated the board’s view on the need for a new light.
The present light is so low that it was found necessary to change its color to red, to prevent its being confused with ships and other lights. This necessarily impaired its efficiency. Still, it would probably answer all necessary purposes if it were at all times accessible to the keeper, which is not the case. The light stands on the end of a pier projecting some two hundred feet into the lake. The pier is only six feet above the surface of the water, and in heavy gales the sea breaks over it waist deep, rendering it impossible for the keeper to pass to or from his light. There is not sufficient room on the end of the pier to admit a dwelling for the keeper being placed there; and if there were, it would be too unsafe to require him to live in it.
From what has been said, it will be seen that it is precisely at those times when the light is most wanted, viz: in stormy weather, when vessels are running for shelter, that it is least to be depended upon. The only remedy which suggests itself is to construct a detached pier or block sufficiently large to receive a new lighthouse, with keeper’s dwelling attached, which would probably cost about fifty thousand dollars, which the board respectfully recommends.

Thanks for tuning in!

09/02/2023

[LIGHTHOUSE OF THE WEEK🔦] Introducing the Cabo Rojo (Los Morrillos) Lighthouse of Puerto Rico! Read on to learn more...

During his second voyage to the New World, Christopher Columbus sailed along the southern coast of Puerto Rico before landing to replenish his water supply somewhere on the island’s west coast on November 19, 1493. Though the exact point of his disembarkation is uncertain, the towns of Aguada and Aguadilla seem the most likely candidates, though Mayaguez and Boqueron are also listed as possible sites. While rounding the southwest point of Puerto Rico, it is believed that Columbus bestowed the name Cabo Rojo on the cape due to its limestone cliffs tinged red by minerals.

Columbus never returned to Puerto Rico, but Ponce de Leon, a member of the landing party in 1493, returned fifteen years later with an army of fifty to settle Puerto Rico, which had been given the name San Juan Bautista by Columbus. The Spanish colonists soon took control of the natural salt flats on Cabo Rojo from the Taino Indians, making salt mining the oldest industry on Puerto Rico.

After the United States gained control of Puerto Rico through the Spanish-American war in 1898, the U.S. Lighthouse Service was directed to take charge of all Puerto Rican lighthouses on May 1, 1900. Inspections were made of all the light stations and any necessary repairs were carried out. The following description of Cabo Rojo Lighthouse was included in the Annual Report of the Light-House Board for 1901.
'This light is of the third order, flashes white every minute, is 121 feet above high water, is visible 18 miles, and is shown from an hexagonal dark-gray tower attached to a one-story flat-roofed gray dwelling, which has green blinds and white trimmings. The tower is 40 feet high from its base, was commenced in 1878 and was finished in 1882 by the Spanish, at a cost of 14,900 pesos. It is used to guide along the southerly coast of Puerto Rico and to the Mona Passage. The lamp and revolving machinery were overhauled and repaired as practicable, but they are still in bad condition. The floors and walls were cemented, the plumbing and sewer were overhauled and two bevel-gear wheels for the lens clock were furnished, and the clock was repaired. In February 1901, the lamp, which gave out, was replaced temporarily with a regulation type table stand lamp, which is still in position, awaiting a new lamp, which is to be sent from the general light-house depot. A duplicate of the machinery, which has been ordered from France, is expected to arrive quite soon.'

Stay tuned for next week's LOTW! Until then, enjoy your week 😃