The Heritage Series: LighthousesLighthouses are a favorite of mine. Usually located along a coastline, they are beautiful and full of history. Brave people lived there, did great things and made numerous contributions to our maritime history. I was surprised at how many of these maritime treasures are gone, lost forever. I've found it's easy to get accurate information from the Lighthouse Societies and it seems to be a popular topic for many to write about, both in print and on line. My wife and I love to visit the mid-Atlantic lighthouses near us as much as we can. It’s no wonder why there are so many lights in the Heritage Series.
The painting shows the group of three lights, as they would have looked from the 1840’s to about 1911. At that time the cliff near the northernmost tower had eroded to within eight feet of the light. Two of the three lights were purchased and became privately owned. The remaining center light was moved back and given a white light flashing three times each ten seconds, as a tribute to the Three Sisters Lights. This light was attached to the keeper’s house at that time. By 1923 the remaining light was in poor condition. The light was deactivated by the Coast Guard and was purchased for private use. Over fifty years later in 1975, the National Park Service purchased the three lights and returned them to their original location. Following restoration at of cost of a half-million dollars, the site was opened to visitors in 1989. The three white, wooden conical towers are each 29 feet tall, and at their park-like setting at the National Seashore, visitors are welcomed and tours are offered from spring through fall.
The Cape Henlopen Light was 93 feet tall with an octagonal stone tower. It was first established in 1767 and was built of native stone, brought down the Brandywine River from north of Wilmington, Delaware. It was built on the northern area of the dune to provide additional height for the beacon. The dunes in the area have been referred to as locomoting dunes. The dune moved up to five feet each year, and eventually undermined the lighthouse and led to its demise in 1926. The light had been deactivated two years earlier, in 1924. There are other lights in the area that are still standing. Access to most of the lights is easy from a car and the Cape May-Lewes Ferry goes right by three of them, ( Delaware Breakwater Light, Harbor of Refuge Light and Cape May Light) and you get a lovely 70-minute cruise between Delaware and New Jersey at the same time.
The Delaware Breakwater Light is 49 feet tall, made of cast iron, conical in shape, and brown in color. It was established in 1885 and deactivated in 1996. It is currently used as a daymark. The Delaware River and Bay Authority leases the light from the state of Delaware, In partnership with the Delaware River and Bay Lighthouse Foundation, tours of the light are offered on selected dates from late spring through early fall. The Delaware Breakwater Light is shown in the background with a fisherman’s cottage on the dunes of what is now Cape Henlopen State Park. This painting is from the very same area where the Cape Henlopen Light once stood. Traveling here from New Jersey on the Cape May Lewes Ferry you can’t miss it as well as Harbor of Refuge Light, and of course the Cape May Light along the Jersey shore. A visit to this area should include a walking tour of historic Lewes. The rich variety of architecture, active working docks, and the smell of the sea will take you back to the time when schooner captains called this their home port.
Mispillion Light fell into disrepair and neglect over the years. My wife and I visited the area in the early 1990’s and although the light was still standing, it was in a sorry state. The light and a nearby restaurant changed ownership several times, and on May 2, 2002 what remained of the lighthouse was struck by lightning and was nearly destroyed by fire. The site again changed hands, and parts of the building were salvaged and recycled into a commercial structure in Lewes, Delaware.
This area was known as the Wreck Pond and was the sight of countless shipwrecks just off the mouth of the Manasquan River. Sea Girt Light filled the gap between Navesink Twin Lights to the north and Barnegat Light to the south. Congress authorized $20.000 to build a light at what was called at the time Squan Inlet, known as Manasquan Inlet today. After further research on the site it was determined a new light was needed. Sea Girt Beach was the sight selected and the light was built. The tower is 44 feet high, and is part of the stately brick structure that provided living quarters for the keeper and his family. During World War II, the light was blacked out. Both soldiers and civilians patrolled the beaches in response to the threat of a U-boat attack along the shore. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1945 and sold to the town of Sea Girt in 1956. The building was used by many local groups, but by 1980, due to neglect, it needed to either be restored or destroyed. Concerned citizens raised funds for its repair and were given a 25-year lease. Today, the handsome structure is an integral part of the community, and a new 25-year lease has been granted to the Sea Girt Lighthouse Citizens Committee. The lighthouse is open on Sunday afternoons during the summer season.
This is my vision of Sankaty Head Light as you might see it standing on the path that leads to the light. Nantucket Island can only reached by ferry from Hyannis on Cape Cod, Massachusetts. The Island of Nantucket has three lights--the Great Point Light to the north of the Island, Brant Point Light that guards Nantucket Harbor, and Sankaty Head Light at the southeastern elbow of Nantucket Island, warning ships off the hazardous South Shoals the site of many shipwrecks. Sankaty Head Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It was built in 1850 and was the first United States lighthouse to have a Fresnel lens as part of its original equipment. The conical brick tower is 70 feet tall, white with a red band in the middle, and a black aluminum lantern. Like other lights along the Atlantic Coast, erosion has become a serious problem. The light is listed on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List of endangered lighthouses. Plans to move the light to a safer location are underway, and are expected to occur during 2007.
The ever-popular Cape Hatteras Light is located north of Cape Hatteras Point, off the Outer Backs of North Carolina. Good Ole Times at Cape Hatteras portrays what I think the light might have looked like around 1950, before the beach began to show signs of serious erosion. Cape Hatteras Light is 193 feet tall. Its conical brick tower is painted with a black and white spiral design, and has a black cast iron lantern. The light is a National Historic Landmark, managed by the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It is the tallest lighthouse in the United States, and one of the tallest brick lighthouses in the world. The light was extinguished on March 1, 1999 in preparation for moving the light 2900 feet inland to prevent it from falling into the sea. The move cost $12 million, and the on November 13, 1999, Cape Hatteras was re-lighted. It is an active aid to navigation, as well as a favorite attraction at the National Seashore.
Located within the Cape Cod National Seashore, the light tower is 66 feet tall. The conical white brick tower has a black cast iron lantern and is an active aid to navigation. The site includes a wood keeper’s house and a generator shed. In 1996, due to encroaching erosion, the light was moved 450 feet back from the edge of the cliff. The present tower was built in 1857. The lighthouse is operated by Highland Lighthouse and Museum, Inc., under a contract with the National Park Service, An adjacent museum includes maritime artifacts, and the keeper’s house features the lighthouse gift shop.
The conical tower is white on the bottom and red on the top with a black cast iron lantern. It stands 48 feet tall. The site includes the keeper’s house and an oil house. The light is operational as a private aid to navigation. The Three Sisters Lights were originally located at this site. In 1911 two of the lights were removed, and one remained in operation. In 1923 one of the twin cast iron towers at Chatham was moved to Eastham, and replaced the remaining one of the Three Sisters Lights. In 1996 Nauset Beach Lighthouse was a mere 35 feet from the edge of the bluff. It was moved 336 feet to a new, safer site.
The old white conical tower was 47 feet high. The lantern has been removed. The present tower was built in 1856 and is part of a Coast Guard Station. The light is closed to the public, but may be seen from the road to the present Brant Point Light, as well as from ferries coming into Nantucket. Old records indicate that nine lighthouse structures have been built on this site. Fire, storms, and poor construction all contributed to the demise of these various structures. In 1901 a new Brant Point Light was built at the end of the point, Our first visit to Nantucket was on a cloudy and cold November day. We watched the “new” Brant Point Light come into view as the ferry maneuvered into the dock. Our daylong visit found us walking throughout the town. We enjoyed traditional fare at lunch in an inviting restaurant, and at day’s end, watched Brant Point flash its red light at us as the ferry headed for the mainland. The Lighthouse Digest Magazine provides a wealth of information on Lighthouses, both in the print edition and on its website. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill hosts an extensive website of information on lighthouses all over the world-- an excellent reference site! You may also want to visit "The Lighthouse People". Bob and Sandra Shanklin are legends in the lighthouse community, and they share their vast knowledge on their site. I hope you've enjoyed visiting the Heritage Series Lighthouses! Here are a few of my favorite lighthouse books: If you have questions or comments, please
contact me.
The Heritage Series also includes
Old Buildings.
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