Lighthouses - The Oldest

During the years I've posted my blog, I've tried to mention the date when a particular lighthouse was built, but never made a concerted effort to group or identify the first lighthouses built. However, in an effort to change things a little and answer questions, in this post I show three different lighthouses in the first built category. They are: (a. First lighthouse built in the world, (b. built in the United States, (c. and the oldest existing lighthouse in the U.S.

First lighthouse built in the world was on the small island of Pharos, Alexandria, Egypt. The Pharos lighthouse foundation was built of stone and the tower of masonry. The lighthouse's lower portion was square with the middle portion octagonal and the top of the tower circular. The tower stood approximately 400 feet high. Its light was lit c.280 BC and deactivated between 1303/1323. (Credit to: Wikipedia Encyclopedia. No picture due to copyright and this lighthouse I did not visit.)


The Boston Light in Massachusetts was the first lighthouse built in the United States. It was built on Little Brewster Island in 1716 of granite blocks. The 1716 lighthouse was destroyed during the Revolutionary War but was rebuilt in 1783 to a height of sixty-six feet. In 1859 an additional fifteen feet was added to the tower. The structure is located about nine miles from downtown Boston. The current tower, pictured below, is eighty-nine feet total height, and the lantern room houses a second-order Fresnel lens. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this lighthouse continued in operation and manned by the U.S. Coast Guard.

 The oldest existing and continuously operating lighthouse in the United States is the Sandy Hook Lighthouse in New Jersey. It was built in 1764 and is located on the grounds of Fort Hancock, NJ. Since construction, it has undergone reconstruction to ensure continued operation. This lighthouse is twenty-nine feet in diameter at the base and fifteen feet in diameter at the top. Its lantern room houses a 45,000 candlepower light which can be seen for nineteen miles. The U.S. Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the National Park Service in 1996. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was an active light.

A Canada Beauty - Cape Spencer Lighthouse

The Cape Spencer Lighthouse is located at Mispec Beach, Saint John, New Brunswick, Canada. This is the fourth lighthouse built at Cape Spencer.

The first lighthouse built here in 1873 was square and made of wood. Its tower was 35-feet high from the base to top of lantern room. A keeper's dwelling was attached.

In 1918 a new concrete tower was built a few yards away to replace the wooden lighthouse. The new tower was octagonal in shape, painted white with a red band around the middle of the tower. That lighthouse was replaced by a metal skeletal design tower in 1971.
 
The current tower, pictured above, was built in 1983 and replaced the skeletal tower. Adjacent to the lighthouse is a fog horn. At the time of my visit here in 200l, this continued an active lighthouse.

A Canada Beauty - Mulholland Point Lighthouse

The Mulholland Point Lighthouse is located at Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada. This lighthouse was built in 1885 to serve as a guide for the many small coasters and freighters passing through the narrow Lubec Channel. The light was turned off after the Roosevelt Memorial Bridge was built in 1962. At the time of my visit here in 2001, the lighthouse was not open to the public.

A Wisconsin Beauty - Rockwell Lighthouse

Located on Lake Winnebago at Oshkosh, WI, the Rockwell (Brays Point) Lighthouse was built in 1911 with private funds. William Bray tried to convince the government to erect a lighthouse at the point where the Fox River empties into the lake, however, he was unsuccessful. He built the lighthouse with his own funds, and assumed the cost of upkeep and responsibility of keeping the light lit. The lighthouse was a part of Mr. Bray's private harbor improvements and his own pleasure boats. He transformed the entire point into a showplace where he entertained friends and colleagues. President William Howard Taft once visited here. The beacon was considered a government licensed light, however, after 1917 when commercial use became substantial; the government then realized the importance of the light and paid its expenses for a time.

This lighthouse is one of the most ornate of all Wisconsin lights, with white and cream colored stucco walls and delicate black ironwork. Numerous windows line the tower and a short staircase leads to a doorway at the light's base. During the late 1950's the light was turned off and the tower fell into disrepair for a number of years. The light was later restored and then re-lit in the summer of 1986 by the owners of the property.

This privately owned and operated lighthouse is in a residential area. The beacon operates year round and is controlled by a photo sensor that automatically turns the light on, day or night, when the sky darkens. The owners of the light are listed with the U.S. Coast Guard as the official lighthouse keepers. At the time of my visit here in 2002, this was an active lighthouse.

A Wisconsin Beauty - Neenah Lighthouse

Located in Kimberly Point Park, Lake Winnebago, Neenah Point, WI, this lighthouse tower was built in 1945 at a height of 40-feet. The light marks entrance of Lake Winnebago to the lower Fox River. In 1954 the tower height was raised to 49-foot. Focal plane of the light is 50-feet above water, and the light was active at the time of my visit here in 2002. The lighthouse was privately maintained, and there were public restrooms at the base of the tower.