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AMERICA'S LIGHTHOUSES
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August 2012
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by Robert Nason
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Category: Unique US
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Lighthouses have been part of the American landscape since 1716, when Boston residents built Boston Light on the two-acre Little Brewster Island in Boston Harbor. The history of lighthouses dates back a bit farther, with the first known being built by the Egyptians around 300 B.C. Pharos, as it was called, rose 450 feet above the city of Alexandria and stood for more than 1,000 years before being destroyed by an earthquake. We decided to scour the country for some of the more unique lighthouses. Here are a few worth visiting.
NEW LONDON LEDGE LIGHTHOUSE - NEW LONDON, CONN.
One of the most unique lighthouses in existence, the New London Ledge was completed in 1909 on a manmade island at the mouth of the Thames River. The unique design was inspired by two wealthy residents who wanted the structure to resemble the historic homes of the area. Automated since 1987, the lighthouse is supposedly haunted by a former keeper named Ernie. According to the legend, Ernie's wife, who lived on shore, left him for a ferry captain sometime in the 1920s. Soon after finding out about her betrayal, a distraught Ernie climbed to the roof of the lighthouse and jumped. His body was never found. His ghost has been credited with turning on the foghorn on sunny days, untying boats from the dock, turning on televisions, knocking on doors and pulling sheets off beds.
CAPE NEDDICK "NUBBLE" LIGHT - YORK, MAINE
Maine is called the Lighthouse State, with more than 60 lighthouses along its rocky shores, and the Nubble Light is arguably the state's most famous. Sitting atop a rocky outcrop just off the coastline, this picturesque lighthouse began service in 1879. NASA even sent an image of the lighthouse into space on Voyager II as part of a collection of materials that were to teach aliens about Earth. Really!
WHITEFISH POINT LIGHTHOUSE - WHITEFISH POINT, MICH.
Whitefish Point Lighthouse began operating in 1849 on the shores of Lake Superior. It lies at the end of an 80-mile stretch of coastline along Whitefish Bay. Known as the Graveyard of Ships and Shipwreck Coast due to the hundreds of vessels lost over the years, Whitefish is at the axis of unrelenting winds, massive and unpredictable waves, and violent, hurricane-like storms that batter the area. The Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum is also located on the site.
CAPE HATTERAS LIGHTHOUSE - BUXTON, N.C.
Offshore of Cape Hatteras is where the Gulf Stream collides with the Virginia Coastal Drift, forcing southbound vessels dangerously close to a 12-mile sandbar called the Diamond Shoals. Keeping watch over this "Graveyard of the Atlantic" is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, the tallest lighthouse in the United States. Located on the Outer Banks of North Carolina, the lighthouse stands 210 feet from its foundation to the pinnacle of the tower. It was completed in 1872 and given its iconic black and white stripes the following year.
ALCATRAZ LIGHTHOUSE - SAN FRANCISCO, CALIF.
As the oldest light station on the West Coast, Alcatraz Lighthouse was built long before the island became famous for its prison. The name Alcatraz is derived from the Spanish word "alcatraces," which means "strange bird," referring to the pelicans that live on the island. Completed years before the Civil War, the lighthouse has guided vessels through the infamous fog of San Francisco Bay for more than 150 years.
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