Pacific Coast Lighthouses Honored on Stamps

Grays Harbor Lighthouse is located at Westport, Washington. It is one of the tallest lighthouses on the Pacific Coast. Built in 1898, its octagonal white masonry tower stands more than 107 feet. The tower sets on a 12 foot concrete sub-base. A metal spiral staircase with 135 steps has nine landings and leads to the lantern room. Both red and white flashes are emitted from the light but only the white flashes are visible for 23 miles. At the time of my visit here in 1999 this was an active light owned by the Coast Guard. 

The Grays Harbor Lighthouse is also one of the five lighthouses selected to represent lighthouses of the Pacific Coast and be printed on U.S. Postage stamps in 2007. Stamps sold for 41 cents as printed on them. The picture of Grays Harbor Lighthouse on the stamp was taken from in front of the lighthouse with the red roofed building to the left of the tower. Since my picture was taken from a different location, I'm not showing a picture similar to that on the stamp.

The other four lighthouses representing the Pacific Coast are: Five Fingers Lighthouse, AK., Umpqua River Lighthouse, OR., St. George Lighthouse, CA., and Diamond Head Lighthouse, HI.

I have visited two of the five recognized lighthouses. The other one is the Umpqua River Lighthouse, OR.

Southeastern Beauties Honored on Stamps

This lighthouse is located on Morris Island at Charleston, SC. The first lighthouse built near here in 1767 was crude and the first to be erected in Southern U.S. Acting upon a decree from King George III, a tower was built at the southern entrance to Charleston Harbor. During the Civil War it was destroyed and this new tower built in 1876. The Morris Island Lighthouse stands 161-feet high and has 201 steps leading to the top. It survived a major hurricane in 1885, and the great Charleston earthquake in 1886. At one time a keepers dwelling was located nearby.

In 1938 the light was automated and shined until the beacon was extinguished in 1962. Until recent years, the tower could be reached by foot at low tide from Folly Beach on James Island, SC. However, because of heavy erosion, this is no longer possible.

At the time of my visit here in 2000, the Morris Island Lighthouse was believed to still be structurally sound, despite the beating from Hurricane Hugo in 1989. 

The Morris Island Lighthouse is also one of five lighthouses selected to represent the southeastern lighthouses of the U.S. on postage stamps. In 2003, the Post Office sold the stamps for 37 cents as printed on the stamps. The other four lighthouses chosen were: The Tybee Island Lighthouse, GA; The Hillsboro Inlet Lighthouse, FL; The Cape Lookout Lighthouse, NC; and The Old Cape Henry Lighthouse, VA.

I'm fortunate to have seen all five of the aforementioned lighthouses, but was unaware at the time of my visit that these lighthouses would later be honored on stamps. The picture below is similar to that on the postage stamp, except for a fishing boat left of the tower and two sailboats right of the tower.

Five Lighthouses Chosen To Honor The Five Great Lakes

The St. Joseph Lighthouse is located along the shores of Lake Michigan at the mouth of the St. Joseph River and Benton Harbor. The catwalk leading to this lighthouse is one of only four left in MI. This lighthouse is one of the five lighthouses chosen to honor the five Great Lakes on postage stamps. The stamps were introduced in 1995 by the U.S. Postal Service and sold for thirty-two cents as printed on the stamps. (The picture below of the St. Joseph Lighthouse is similar to that on the postage stamp.) 

The other four lighthouses chosen were: The Spectacle Reef Lighthouse near Lake Huron, the Marblehead Lighthouse near Lake Erie, the Split Rock Lighthouse near Lake Superior, and the Thirty Mile Lighthouse near Lake Ontario.

I visited the St. Joseph Lighthouse and the Marblehead Lighthouse in 1998, but at the time, I was unaware of the distinction and honor placed on these two lighthouses nor the other three mentioned above. 

Lighthouse Beauties On Stamps

The West Quoddy Head Lighthouse, Lubec, ME, stands on the easternmost mainland point in the U.S. At certain times of the year, it is also the first spot in the country to see the morning sun. West Quoddy Head forms the western entrance to Cobscook Bay and the St. Croix River.  In 1808 a 49-foot rubble masonry tower was constructed. It was as tall as any tower built in Maine prior to 1850, except for the one at Portland Head. Fifty years later, 1858, the original tower was torn down and replaced by this cast-iron structure, overlaid with brick, pictured above. Its white flashing automated light beams from 83-feet above the water, as the lighthouse sets on a cliff. At the time of my visit here in 2001, this was an active light.

This lighthouse is one of five lighthouses chosen in 1990 for image on a postage stamp to honor the U.S. Coast Guard and the Lighthouse Service. The other four lighthouses are: The well known Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, NC; American Shoals Lighthouse, FL; Sandy Hook Lighthouse, NJ; and the Admiralty Head Lighthouse, WA.  Each of these lighthouses represented a main region of the coast line of the U.S. The United States Post Office sold the stamps for 25 cents as was printed on the stamp.

I feel fortunate to have visited all of these lighthouses, except one, the American Shoals Lighthouse. Although I've photographed all those I visited, I'm using The West Quoddy Head Lighthouse as an example for this post. Each of the lighthouses mentioned above has its own unique design and history, but since 1990, these share a like history of being selected to pay honor to the U.S. Coast Guard and Lighthouse Service on a postage stamp. (Below picture similar to that on postage stamp.)