Lighthouse museum

Last updated
light units on display in the former keeper's residence Naturaliste lighthouse gnangarra 04.JPG
light units on display in the former keeper's residence

A lighthouse museum is a museum specializing in the display of historical objects relating to lighthouses. [1] These museums are either stand alone buildings or are present in lighthouses that are active or inactive. Objects displayed include tools lighthouse keepers used at the time in their everyday lives to maintain the light as well as historic objects such as the Fresnel lens. [2] In addition to navigation, lighthouses in general continue to operate almost as "small maritime museums". [3]

Contents

Lighthouse museums

The following is a list of lighthouse museums that are located worldwide. All of these entries are located on lighthouse property which may or may not be privately run, these areas include the lighthouse tower, keepers residence, and other buildings that were built to aid. The entries on this list include reliable sources that must mention a "lighthouse museum" on the given property.

NameState/RegionCountryOpened [lower-alpha 1]
Absecon Lighthouse New Jersey United States 2002
Anorisaki Lighthouse Mie Japan 2004
Ardnamurchan Lighthouse [4] Scotland United Kingdom
Au Sable Light Michigan United States
Bald Head Light North Carolina United States
Barnegat Lighthouse New JerseyUnited States 1954
Battery Point Light [5] California United States
Beavertail Lighthouse Rhode Island United States1993
Bengtskär Lighthouse Kimitoön Finland 1995 [6]
Block Island North Light Rhode IslandUnited States1993 [7]
Block Island Southeast Light [8] Rhode IslandUnited States
Bluff Point Light New York United States1986
Browns Point Light [9] Washington (state) United States
Burnt Coat Harbor Light Maine United States
Burnt Island Light MaineUnited States
Calvert Marine Museum Maryland United States1970
Cana Island Light Wisconsin United States
Cape Arkona Lighthouse Mecklenburg-Vorpommern Germany
Cape Forchu Lighthouse Nova Scotia Canada
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse North CarolinaUnited States
Cape Jaffa Lighthouse South Australia Australia 1976
Cape North Lighthouse Ontario Canada1980
Cape Schanck Lighthouse Victoria Australia
Charlotte–Genesee Lighthouse New YorkUnited States
Choptank River Light MarylandUnited States
Concord Point Light MarylandUnited States
Copper Harbor Light MichiganUnited States
Cove Point Light MarylandUnited States
Crisp Point Light MichiganUnited States
Currituck Beach Light North CarolinaUnited States
Dongquan Lighthouse Juguang Taiwan 2008
Dunkirk Light New YorkUnited States
Eagle Bluff Light WisconsinUnited States1963
Eagle Harbor Light MichiganUnited States
Fairport Harbor Lighthouse Ohio United States1945
Fenwick Island Light Delaware United States
Fort Gratiot Light MichiganUnited States
Forty Mile Point Light MichiganUnited States
Gasparilla Island Lights Florida United States1999
Grindel Point Light MaineUnited States
Hereford Inlet Light New JerseyUnited States
Horton Point Light New YorkUnited States
Inubōsaki Lighthouse Chiba Japan
Jupiter Inlet Light FloridaUnited States2006
Key West Lighthouse FloridaUnited States
Kinnaird Head Lighthouse ScotlandUnited Kingdom
Lighthouse of Genoa Liguria Italy 2006
Lindesnes Lighthouse Vest-Agder Norway
Marblehead Light (Ohio) OhioUnited States
Marquette Harbor Light MichiganUnited States
McGulpin Point Light MichiganUnited States
Mission Point Light MichiganUnited States
Montauk Point Light New YorkUnited States1987
Mukilteo Light Washington (state)United States
Navesink Twin Lights New JerseyUnited States
New Presque Isle Light MichiganUnited States
Nojimazaki Lighthouse ChibaJapan
Old Mackinac Point Light MichiganUnited States
Old Point Loma Lighthouse CaliforniaUnited States
Old Presque Isle Light MichiganUnited States
Ontonagon Light MichiganUnited States
Pensacola Light FloridaUnited States
Phare de Gatteville Manche France 1997
Piney Point Light MarylandUnited States
Point Amour Lighthouse Newfoundland Canada
Point Cabrillo Light CaliforniaUnited States
Point Fermin Light CaliforniaUnited States
Point Iroquois Light MichiganUnited States
Point Pinos Lighthouse CaliforniaUnited States
Point Reyes Lighthouse CaliforniaUnited States
Point Vicente Light CaliforniaUnited States
Pointe aux Barques Light MichiganUnited States
Ponce de Leon Inlet Light FloridaUnited States
Port Burwell Lighthouse OntarioCanada
Port Washington Light WisconsinUnited States
Portland Head Light MaineUnited States
Pottawatomie Light WisconsinUnited States
Santa Marta Lighthouse Cascais Portugal2007
Saugerties Light New YorkUnited States
Seal Point Lighthouse Eastern Cape South Africa
Seul Choix Light MichiganUnited States
Signal Tower Museum ScotlandUnited Kingdom
Sodus Point Light New YorkUnited States
South Manitou Island Lighthouse MichiganUnited States
Southwold Lighthouse England United Kingdom
Split Rock Lighthouse Minnesota United States1976
St. Augustine Light FloridaUnited States1994
St Mary's Lighthouse EnglandUnited Kingdom
St. Simons Island Light Georgia United States1975
Stonington Harbor Light Connecticut United States
Sturgeon Point Light MichiganUnited States
Świnoujście Lighthouse West Pomeranian Voivodeship Poland 2000
Tawas Point Light MichiganUnited States
Tuckerton Seaport New JerseyUnited States1993
Two Harbors Light Minnesota United States
Umpqua River Light Oregon United States
West Quoddy Head Light MaineUnited States
Whitefish Point Light MichiganUnited States
White River Light MichiganUnited States
Withernsea Lighthouse EnglandUnited Kingdom
Wood Islands Lighthouse Prince Edward Island Canada
Yaquina Bay Light OregonUnited States
Yaquina Head Light OregonUnited States

Museums not in lighthouses

See also

Note

  1. The opening date refers to the current museum.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bishop Rock</span> Skerry in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Cornwall, England

The Bishop Rock is a skerry off the British coast in the northern Atlantic Ocean known for its lighthouse. It is in the westernmost part of the Isles of Scilly, an archipelago 45 kilometres off the southwestern tip of the Cornish peninsula of Great Britain. The Guinness Book of Records lists it as the world's smallest island with a building on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Macquarie Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

The Macquarie Lighthouse, also known as South Head Upper Light, is the first, and is the longest serving, lighthouse site in Australia. It is located on Dunbar Head, on Old South Head Road, Vaucluse in the Municipality of Woollahra local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The lighthouse is situated approximately 2 kilometres (1 mi) south of South Head near the entrance to Sydney Harbour. There has been a navigational aid in this vicinity since 1791 and a lighthouse near the present site since 1818. The current heritage-listed lighthouse was completed in 1883. The lighthouse and associated buildings were designed by James Barnet and built from 1881 to 1883.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marblehead Light (Ohio)</span> Lighthouse in Ohio, US

Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead, Ohio, United States, is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the American side of the Great Lakes. It has guided sailors safely along the rocky shores of Marblehead Peninsula since 1822, and is an active aid to navigation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Block Island Southeast Light</span> Lighthouse in Rhode Island, United States

Block Island Southeast Light is a lighthouse located on Mohegan Bluffs at the southeastern corner of Block Island, Rhode Island. It was designated a U.S. National Historic Landmark in 1997 as one of the most architecturally sophisticated lighthouses built in the United States in the 19th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Augustine Light</span> Lighthouse in Florida, US

The St. Augustine Light Station is a privately maintained aid to navigation and an active, working lighthouse in St. Augustine, Florida. The current lighthouse stands at the north end of Anastasia Island and was built between 1871 and 1874. The tower is the second lighthouse tower in St. Augustine, the first being lit officially by the American territorial government in May 1824 as Florida's first lighthouse. However, both the Spanish and the British governments operated a major aid to navigation here including a series of wooden watch towers and beacons dating from 1565.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eagle Bluff Light</span> Lighthouse

The Eagle Bluff Light, also known as Eagle Bluff lighthouse, or simply Eagle Bluff, is a lighthouse located near Ephraim in Peninsula State Park in Door County, Wisconsin. Construction was authorized in 1866, but the lighthouse was not actually built until 1868 at a cost of $12,000. It was automated in 1926. Restoration work began on the Eagle Bluff Light in 1960 and was completed in 1963, upon completion the Lighthouse was opened for tours. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lighthouse keeper</span> Profession in the shipping industry

A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as "wickies" because of their job trimming the wicks.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sambro Island Light</span> Lighthouse

Sambro Island Lighthouse is a landfall lighthouse located at the entrance to Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, on an island near the community of Sambro in the Halifax Regional Municipality. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America and its construction is a National Historic Event.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plum Island Light</span> Lighthouse

Plum Island Light is located on the western end of Plum Island, which lies in the Long Island Sound, east of Orient Point at the end of the North Fork of Long Island, New York. An historic granite lighthouse originally built in 1869 sits at the site, but no longer serves as an active aid to navigation. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stannard Rock Light</span> Lighthouse in Michigan, United States

The Stannard Rock Light is a lighthouse located on a reef that was the most serious hazard to navigation on Lake Superior. The exposed crib of the Stannard Rock Light is rated as one of the top ten engineering feats in the United States. It is 24 miles (39 km) from the nearest land, making it the most distant lighthouse in the United States. It was one of the "stag stations", manned only by men, and had the nickname "The Loneliest Place in the World".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Montague Island Light</span> Lighthouse in New South Wales, Australia

The Montague Island Light is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on Barunguba / Montague Island, an island in the Tasman Sea, 9 kilometres (5.6 mi) offshore from Narooma on the south coast of New South Wales, Australia. The lighthouse is located at the highest point of the island. It was designed by James Barnet and NSW Colonial Architect and built from 1878 to 1881 by J. Musson and completed By W. H. Jennings. It is also known as the Montague Island Lightstation and its setting. The property is owned by the Office of Environment and Heritage, an agency of the Government of New South Wales. It was added to the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999, and the Commonwealth Heritage List on 22 June 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">South Solitary Island Light</span> Lighthouse near Coffs Harbour in New South Wales, Australia

South Solitary Island Light is an active lighthouse on South Solitary Island, an island within the Solitary Islands Marine Park, about 15 kilometres (9.3 mi) northeast of Coffs Harbour, New South Wales, Australia. The lighthouse is located at the summit of the island. It is considered the most isolated lighthouse on the New South Wales coast. It was first in New South Wales to use kerosene over colza oil, and the last to do so before converting to electric power.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bay Rock Light</span> Lighthouse

Bay Rock Light is an inactive lighthouse which used to be located on Bay Rock, a rocky islet northwest of Magnetic Island, about 20 kilometres (12 mi) north of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. First lit in 1886, it was automated in 1920 and deactivated in the 1980s. It was relocated in 1992 to the Townsville Maritime Museum, where it is now displayed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Booby Island Light</span> Lighthouse

Booby Island Light is an active heritage-listed lighthouse located on Booby Island in the Shire of Torres, near the tip of Cape York Peninsula, west of Prince of Wales Island, within the Endeavour Strait, Queensland, Australia. It marks the western entrance to the navigation channel through the Torres Strait. It was the last of the major lights to be constructed along the Queensland coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Capricorn Light</span> Lighthouse in Queensland, Australia

Cape Capricorn Light is an active heritage-listed lighthouse located on Cape Capricorn, a coastal headland on the northeast point of Curtis Island, in Gladstone Region, Central Queensland, Australia. The lighthouse, constructed in 1964, is the third at this site, following a timber frame lighthouse constructed in 1875 and a concrete lighthouse constructed around 1937. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 31 August 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cape Moreton Light</span> Lighthouse in Queensland, Australia

Cape Moreton Light, also listed as North Point Range Rear Light, is a heritage-listed active lighthouse located on Cape Moreton, a rocky headland located at the north eastern tip of Moreton Island, a large sand island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay, on the coast of South East Queensland, Australia. It marks the northern entrance to Moreton Bay and Brisbane and also serves as the rear light for the North Point Range. With its two distinctive red bands, it also serves as a daymark. It is the oldest lighthouse in Queensland, and the only one to be built by the New South Wales Government before the separation of Queensland, which took place in 1859. It is also the only lighthouse in Queensland to be built of stone.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Low Isles Light</span> Lighthouse

Low Isles Light, also known as Low Islets Light or Low Island Light, is an active lighthouse located on Low Island, a coral cay which together with Woody Island forms the Low Isles group, about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) northeast of Port Douglas, Queensland, Australia. The island is situated on the western edge of the main shipping channel into the harbour of Port Douglas, and it marks the entrance to the channel. Built in 1878, it was the first lighthouse in Far North Queensland and more specifically the first to light the Inner Passage of the Great Barrier Reef. Its construction is typical to Queensland lighthouses of the time, timber frame clad with galvanized iron, and it is the fourth lighthouse of this type constructed in Queensland, though it is the first of them to use portholes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bengtskär Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse in Kimitoön, Finland

Bengtskär Lighthouse is located in the Archipelago Sea about 25 kilometers south west of Hanko, Finland. The lighthouse was built in 1906 on the Bengtskär skerry where it rises 52 meters above sea level and is the highest one in the Nordic countries. The lighthouse had been planned for some time, but after the steamer s/s Helsingfors ran aground in 1905 in the vicinity en route from Lübeck to Helsinki resulting in several crew members trapped and drowned on board, the project gained urgency and was completed during the following year. Soviet troops stationed in Hanko during the Continuation War, disturbed by a Finnish observation post in the light house tried to blow up and destroy the lighthouse during the Battle of Bengtskär in 1941.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ardnamurchan Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

Ardnamurchan Lighthouse is a listed 19th century lighthouse, located on Ardnamurchan Point in Lochaber part of the Highland council area of Scotland. The lighthouse with its 36-metre-tall (118 ft), pink granite tower was completed in 1849 to a design by Alan Stevenson. It is the only lighthouse in the UK built in the Egyptian style. Mains electricity was installed in 1976, the light was automated in 1988 and is now operated remotely by the Northern Lighthouse Board from Edinburgh.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swallowtail Lighthouse</span> Lighthouse

The Swallowtail Lighthouse is a Canadian lighthouse located on Grand Manan Island in the Bay of Fundy. It was the first lighthouse to be built on the island. It was first lit on 7 July 1860 and was automated and de-staffed in 1986.

References

  1. Joe Wojtas (May 11, 2017). "Stonington borough approves lighthouse museum addition". The Day . Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  2. "Portland Head Light". Lighthousefriends. Retrieved February 27, 2018.
  3. "Massachusetts lighthouses tell the story of seafaring life and dangers". New England.com. Retrieved March 19, 2018.
  4. "Ardnamurchan Lighthouse". Ardnamurchan Lighthouse Trust. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
  5. "Battery Point (Crescent City), CA". Lighthouses of the United States. Lighthouse Friends. 2012. Archived from the original on 5 February 2012. Retrieved 5 April 2012.
  6. "History (Bengtskär lighthouse)". www.bengtskar.fi. Archived from the original on July 20, 2011. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
  7. Jeremy D'Entremont. "History of Block Island North Lighthouse, Rhode Island". www.newenglandlighthouses.net. Retrieved 4 October 2014.
  8. Daytripper's Guide: Block Island Archived October 13, 2007, at the Wayback Machine ; University of Rhode Island Sea Grant; retrieved on October 22, 2007