California Beauty - East Brother Lighthouse

The East Brother Lighthouse is located on East Brother Island, offshore of San Francisco, CA. The lighthouse was built in 1874 to mark safe passage for mariners and their ships through the straits that separate San Francisco and San Pablo Bays. The lantern room was originally fitted with a fourth-order Fresnel lens. That lens was replaced by a fixed fifth-order Fresnel lens after1922 when the lighthouse was electrified.

The U.S. Coast Guard took over operation of the lighthouse in 1939 and automated the light in 1969. After the lighthouse was automated, it received less attention and several years later it needed extensive repair. The Coast Guard decided to shut down the lighthouse, but reversed their decision in 1971 when the lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. A non-profit group, East Brother Light Station, Inc.was formed in 1979. They began leasing the property and eventually restored the lighthouse.

At the time of my visit here in 1999, the aforementioned non-profit group maintained this historic site, and the light station was open to the public. The keeper's dwelling served as a bed-and-breakfast inn.

California Beauty - Point Bonita Lighthouse

The Point Bonita Lighthouse is located North of San Francisco, CA. The original tower was built in 1855. It and the keeper's dwelling were perched on a ledge to the left of this lighthouse, about 300-feet above the ocean. The light could be seen from up to 20-miles out to sea, except when heavy fog obscured the beam and it occurred often . Almost daily, the keepers had to sound the fog signal by firing a cannon which was mounted outside the tower. Later a 1,500-pound bell replaced the cannon, but the fog and low clouds around the tower remained a problem.

A new light station, pictured above, was built at this lower elevation about 100-feet above the ocean. The 33-foot tower, as well as the building that housed two steam-driven fog signals, the keeper's dwelling and the storage buildings were built. The second-order Fresnel lens from the original lighthouse was moved to the new tower, and the new Point Bonita Lighthouse lamp was lit in February 1877.

The new tower survived the April 1906 earthquake that devastated nearby San Francisco, but the keeper's dwelling collapsed moments after the family escaped.

The U.S. Coast Guard automated the light in the early 1980's, and they were still maintaining it at the time of my visit here in 1999. The National Park Service maintained the grounds and the lighthouse was open three days a week to the public.

California Beauty - Point Reyes Lighthouse

The Point Reyes Lighthouse is located in the Point Reyes National Seashore Park, Point Reyes, CA. Workman constructed this 40-foot, sixteen-sided iron-plated tower in 1870. The lantern room is fitted with a first-order Fresnel lens. There are 300 steps leading down to the lighthouse. In the mid 1970's, the U.S. Coast Guard automated the light and later transferred the property to the National Park Service. At the time of my visit here in 1999, this was an inactive light. The keeper's dwelling no longer stood but a maintenance building continued to stand with the lighthouse. The light station was open to the public except during times of high wind. I've added this lighthouse to my list of beauties.

Beauty Is In The Eye of The Beholder

Most people have heard or said the brief statement: "Beauty is in the eye of the beholder." The statement appropriately defines how one person may view someone or something as beautiful, while another person may not see any beauty in the subject matter. For example, lighthouses have been around for hundreds of years. They were built to perform as  navigational aids to mariners and their ships, and not intentionally designed with beauty in mind.

Some lighthouses situated in the setting with other buildings and the local environment, make what this lighthouse enthusiast calls a beautiful scene or picture. In the next several weeks, I will feature lighthouses I've seen which I think fit the category of beautiful. My hope is your eye will also see them as beautiful, and they will add light to your day. The first beauty is posted below.

California Beauty - Point Arena Lighthouse

The original Point Arena Lighthouse was built in 1870. It stood 100-feet tall, constructed of masonry, and the lantern room held a first-order Fresnel lens. That lighthouse collapsed during the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 and the keepers house destroyed.

This replacement tower was built in 1908 to a height of 115-feet and is made of reinforced concrete. This was the first time this "new material" was used for a lighthouse. The supporting buttresses at the base of the tower have helped the lighthouse survive earthquake tremors since its construction. Instead of rebuilding the original keepers' house which housed the keeper, his three assistants and their families, lighthouse officials had separate housing built for each of the keepers.

During World War II, several military actions were witnessed from this lighthouse. For one, the U.S. Navy defeated three Japanese destroyers on 12 August 1945, two days before the end of the war.

In 1977 the U.S. Coast Guard automated the lighthouse. At the time of my visit here in 1999, the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers Association was leasing the property from the Coast Guard and the lighthouse was open to the public year-round. The keepers association maintained a museum and provided for tours. They also rented the keepers' houses to overnight visitors.

Texas - Point Isabel Lighthouse

The Point Isabel Lighthouse is located in Port Isabel, TX. It was built in 1853. The tower is made of brick and stands 50-feet high. It was first lit by use of multiple lamps and reflectors. In 1857 they were removed and the lantern room fitted with a third-order Fresnel lens and one lamp.

During the war between the States, the lighthouse was deactivated and the lens removed. The war caused the lighthouse to experience considerable damage to the tower, lantern room, and clock mechanism.

In 1866 the light was reactivated, and then in 1881 a new lantern room was installed. The lighthouse was closed In 1888, however, due to pressure from the locals it was reopened in 1895. Several years later it fell into disrepair.

In 1952 the lighthouse was acquired by the State of TX and restored. It sits on a grassy knoll adjacent to the small TX park named after the lighthouse. I visited this lighthouse in 1998 but was unable to take a picture, so I purchased the picture shown above. The view from the top of this lighthouse enables visitors to see the flat coastal plain as well as a good view of South Padre Island. At the time of my visit here, this was the only lighthouse open for climbing in the state of TX.