A Popular Site To Visit - Yaquina Head Lighthouse

This lighthouse was built in 1873. Its tower at 93-feet is the tallest of any on the Oregon coast. The light stands 162-feet above sea level and is automated. It serves as an aid to navigation along the west coast and entrance to Yaquina Bay. The light from the first-order Fresnel lens is visible for 19-miles out to sea and is still an active light. The lighthouse and its site are managed by the Bureau of Land Management, while the lighthouse lens and light are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Yaquina Head Lighthouse has always been popular with visitors. As an example, as far back as 1938 officials recorded close to 12,000 visitors that year. This lighthouse was the fourth most visited lighthouse in the U.S. Yaquina Head was reported as one of the best maintained lighthouses on the west coast. To help maintain that record, keepers asked visitors to take off their shoes before they walked on the marble rotunda and climbed the 114-steps of the stairway.

Ships passing close to Yaquina Head reported their compasses would not function properly. This may seem very eerie, but there is an explanation. The land in front of where the lighthouse sits contains a vein of magnetized iron, and when a ship passes too close a traditional compass will not give an accurate reading.

South of the lighthouse, at the beautiful waters edge, are tide pools where sea stars, hermit crabs, purple urchins, and other sea life can at times be seen. This lighthouse is still a very popular tourist attraction and now receives over 400,000 visitors a year. It is only open to the public during daylight hours. I enjoyed my visit there in 1999.

Remembering A Birthday

In the summer of 2004, my late wife and I volunteered at the Umpqua River Lighthouse and Museum. During the month of August that year, we were privileged to be part of a celebration to recognize the lighthouse turning 110 years old in Dec. Officials from the Douglas County Parks conducted the celebration with several dignitaries, local residence, Coast Guard, and lighthouse volunteers in attendance. (Pictures below. Click on them to enlarge the view.)

Now it’s August 2016, and the aforementioned celebration reminds me Officials and lighthouse enthusiasts of the Umpqua River Lighthouse can celebrate its 122 year birthday. Amazingly, this lighthouse is still in operation, thanks to people who care about preserving local history. Happy Birthday, Umpqua River Lighthouse.

New England Coastal Lighthouses Honored on Stamps

Portland Head Lighthouse is located at Fort Williams State Park, Cape Elizabeth, ME. Construction of Maine's oldest lighthouse began in 1787, but abandoned before much could be accomplished due to lack of funds. Then in 1789, the new nation's first Congress appropriated $1,500 to complete the project. In November 1790 it was completed and the light first lit in 1791. President George Washington appointed Captain Joseph Greenleaf as the first keeper.

The fieldstone tower originally stood seventy-two feet high overall, but was shortened by more than one-third in 1813. Then in 1865 it was restored following public outcry over the loss of forty-two lives along the Cape Elizabeth shore in the unfortunate shipwreck of the Bohemiam, a transatlantic steamer. In 1883 local residents loudly protested a second lowering of the tower. They succeeded in having the cropped amount built back, and this time builder’s utilized brick. The overall tower structure now stands eighty-feet above the rocky headland, and its white light beams from one-hundred-one feet above sea level.

The morning of my visit here in 1997, the fog was so thick upon arrival in the parking lot that the lighthouse was barely visible. After waiting for several minutes, the fog moved and enabled me to cautiously walk along the rocky shore to take pictures. Although fog surrounded the lantern room, at the right moment I still was able to capture the light flashing through the fog .

Besides having the distinction of being the oldest lighthouse in Maine, The Portland Head Lighthouse also has the honor of having its image printed on a stamp. This lighthouse is one of five lighthouses selected to represent the New England Coastal Lighthouses on U.S. Postage Stamps. The stamps were issued in 2013 as Forever and priced at 46 cents. The picture below is similar to the image on the Portland Head Lighthouse stamp.

The other four lighthouses representing New England Coastal Lighthouses are: Point Judith Lighthouse, Narragansett, RI;  Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouse, New Castle, NH;  Boston Harbor Lighthouse, Boston, MA;  and the New London Harbor Lighthouse, New London, CT.

Except for the Point Judith Lighthouse, I am privileged to have visited and photographed all of the aforementioned lighthouses.

Gulf Coast Lighthouses Honored on Stamps

The Biloxi Lighthouse is located on Highway 90 at the foot of Porter Ave in Biloxi, MS. It sits in the median strip between the lanes of Hwy 90.

This lighthouse reportedly is the first cast-iron tower in the south, and fabricated by Murray & Hazelhurst Vulcan Works of Baltimore, MD.  The fabricated materials were shipped south aboard the brig General North. Construction was completed in 1848 and included lining the 48-foot cast-iron tower with locally made brick. A series of 9 lamps and 14" reflectors provided the original light. In 1856 the lamps were replaced by a fourth-order Fresnel lens which operated until after the Civil War when it was replaced by a fifth-order lens. Except for a brief period during the Civil War when the lens was hidden by the local home guard, the light has shown continuously since 1848. At the time of my visit here in 2000, the light continued active.

In 1926 the light was electrified by the Lighthouse Service, then in 1939 the U.S. Coast Guard assumed responsibility for the light's operation. They declared it surplus property in 1968 and the lighthouse was deeded to the City of Biloxi. This lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. 

The Biloxi Lighthouse has the distinction of having more female keepers for more years than men. An additional distinction for it occurred in 2009. This lighthouse was selected as one of five lighthouses to represent the Gulf Coast lighthouses on U.S. Postage Stamps. The Biloxi Lighthouse Stamp is similar to the above picture, except there are no trees or cars. In place of these, there are two sail boats, one on either side of the lighthouse. Also, the numbers 44 and letters USA are printed in the upper left corner. Stamp was forty-four cents.

The other four lighthouses honored in this group are: The Fort Jefferson Lighthouse at Dry Tortugas, FL; Sand Island Lighthouse, AL; Sabine Pass Lighthouse, LA; and the Matagorda Island Lighthouse, TX.

Except for the Sabine Pass Lighthouse and Matagorda Island Lighthouse, I have visited the aforementioned lighthouses. I'm grateful for the opportunity to have seen these honored lighthouses.