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Dice head, Me
What it is like to be near a lighthouse during a storm!
Chicago Harbor Lighthouse
Since the days of exploration and colonization, Sandy Hook and the nearby Navesink Highlands have been prominent landmarks for ships approaching Lower New York Harbor.
An Unmarked Harbor
Englishman Thomas Pownall sailed into the harbor in 1755 and noted that: “The first land you discover in coming from the Sea is the high land of the Nave-sinks… under the Navesinks stretching from their foot for about 4 miles to the right and northward of this high land (is) a neck of low sandy hills covered with cedars and holly, ending in a low sandy point… This was the first land of America that I saw… The Cedar point… was… called by the Dutch Sandy Hook. After having… come from the sea (and) within the Hook & under the pleasant feel of still Water, the Eye is delighted with the view of a most noble bay.” To enter the harbor, sailing ships navigated a narrow, curving channel around the tip of Sandy Hook. Pownall’s passage took place during good weather, but six years later a number of shipwrecks occurred on the treacherous, unseen sandbars and shoals surrounding Sandy Hook. Severe financial losses from these shipwrecks made fort-three New York merchants petition the Colonial Assembly of New York in 1761. The merchants requested that a lighthouse be erected on Sandy Hook to guide ships safety into the harbor. The New York Assembly supported this proposal and passed “An Act for raising a Sum not exceed Three Thousand Pounds by way of Lottery for building a Light House” on Sandy Hook.
A Lighthouse is Built
A committee of prominent New York citizens was authorized to establish the lottery and purchase “a small quantity of land” at the tip of Sandy Hook to build a lighthouse. Negotiations with Robert and Esek Hartshorne, the owners of Sandy Hook, resulted in the purchase, on May 16, 1762, of four acres of “barren, sandy soil… for the moderate price of 750 pounds.” The June 18, 1764 edition of the New York Mercury reported that: “On Monday Evening last June 11, 1764), the NEW-YORK LIGHT HOUSE erected at Sandy Hook was lighted for the first Time. The House is of an Octagonal Figure, having eight equal Sides; the diameter at the Base, 29 Feet; and at the Top of the Wall, 15 Feet. The Lanthorn (lantern house) is 7 Feet high; the Circumference 33 feet. The whole Construction of the Lanthorn is Iron; the Top covered with Copper. There are 48 Oil Blazes. The Building from the Surface is Nine Stories; the whole from Bottom to top, 103 feet.” To pay for the operation and maintenance of the new lighthouse, the Colony of New York authorized a tonnage tax of three pence per ton on ships sailing into the harbor. This enabled the Port of New York to maintain the tower, pay a keeper’s salary, and make a small profit from any surplus tax money.
Surviving a Revolution
Early in the American Revolution, the expected arrival of the British fleet made the lighthouse a military target. A patriot raiding party removed 8 copper lamps and 4 casks of whale oil from the lighthouse in March 1776. In June, a daring attack to destroy the tower was attempted by LieutenantColonel Benjamin Tupper and his soldiers. Tupper “ordered the artillery to play, which continued an hour, but found the walls so firm I could make no Impression.” In the face of stiff resistance from a British armed guard defending the lighthouse, and supported by a British frigate in Sandy Hook Bay, Tupper called off the attack and withdrew his command. In response to the raid, the British high command took steps to protect this key navigational aid by sending loyalists to fortify the lighthouse and guard it from attack. Supported by the British Army and Navy, the loyalists kept the “Lighthouse Fort” or “Refugees Tower” under British control for most of the Revolution.
Lindesnes, Norway
Point Cabrillo, Ca - James Hill
Point Fermin, Ca
Forty Mile Point Light is a lighthouse in Presque Isle County near Hammond Bay on the western shore of Lake Huron in Rogers Township, Michigan USA.
Little Sable Point Lighthouse, Michigan
Wisconsin boasts numerous historic lighthouses along its nearly 600-mile Lake Michigan shoreline, with highlights including the iconic Cana Island Lighthouse, the tall Wind Point Lighthouse, and the restored 1860 Port Washington Light Station. Key locations in Door County and along the coast offer tours, tower climbs, and scenic views, with many operating from May through October.
Must-See Lake Michigan Lighthouses in Wisconsin:
- Cana Island Lighthouse (Baileys Harbor): Features a 1869 tower and a unique haywagon ride over the causeway to the island.
By far this is one of my favorite lighthouses that I have visited and climbed.
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. Annapolis, Maryland! This is a truly unusual shaped lighthouse!
Galveston South Jetty lantern is located in Galveston City college. On November 8, 2006 the lantern room, which had been removed before the collapse of the
lighthouse, …"
Gladstone Lighthouse
Gladstone, Michigan
photo - Steve O'Day
Grand Island Harbor Rear Range Lighthouse
North Point lighthouse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is my favorite that I was able to climb.The lighthouse has a great view of Milwaukee, Milwaukee harbor and Lake Michigan.
The North Point Lighthouse in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, is a historic maritime landmark in Lake Park, marking the entrance to the Milwaukee River. Originally built in 1855, the current structure dates to 1888 and features a 74-foot tower and a Queen Anne-style keeper's quarters, serving as a museum with exhibits on Great Lakes maritime history. It is open for tours on weekends, offering views from the tower and a chance to explore the museum and grounds.
Marblehead Lighthouse Lake Erie!
Heceta Head Lighthouse, near Florence, Oregon, is a historic, working lighthouse known as the brightest on the Oregon Coast, with a beam visible for 21 miles. Built in 1894, it's part of a scenic state park with trails, a beach, and the former Assistant Keeper's House, which operates the lighthouse.
The most scenic lighthouse I have ever seen.
Fire in the sky at The Needles ❤️
Visit Isle of Wight Isle of Wight - isleofwight.com National Trust Isle of Wight VisitEngland
Kenosha North Pierhead Lighthouse
Kenosha, Wisconsin
photo - Steve O'Day
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse in Newport, Oregon operated for only three years (1871–1874), giving it the shortest service life of any lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. It became obsolete almost immediately after the taller, more powerful Yaquina Head Lighthouse opened just a few miles north in 1873. Once that beacon went active, Yaquina Bay’s light was extinguished and the station abandoned. One of its most distinctive features is its rare integrated design, where the tower rises directly from the keeper’s house — a compact, economical style suited for a small harbor entrance light rather than a major coastal beacon. I enjoyed this lighthouse when we stopped there as it was very well kept and it was open for visitors. It was well furnished and featured many furnishings of the period.
If you ever get to Cruise the inside passage..look for Five Finger Lighthouse…first and last manned lighthouse in SE Alaska!
Harbor of Refuge, Lewes Delaware!
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