North Head Lighthouse
by Mitch Shindelbower
Title
North Head Lighthouse
Artist
Mitch Shindelbower
Medium
Photograph
Description
The North Head Light was constructed in 1897 after mariners complained that the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, installed in 1856, was obscured to ships approaching from the north by the headland extending southwest from the light. The new lighthouse was designed by Carl Leick, with a 65-foot (20 m) tower set on a 130-foot (40 m) cliff directly facing the ocean and clearly visible to ships traveling from the north.[5] Other buildings included two oil houses east of the lighthouse, a keeper's residence, duplex housing for two assistant keepers, a barn, and outbuildings, all of which remain on site.[6]
The first-order lens at the Cape Disappointment Light was moved to North Head and was first lit at its new location in 1898. In 1935, the first-order lens was replaced by a fourth-order lens. That lens was eventually replaced by an aerobeacon in the 1950s, and later by a modern optic mounted outside the tower. A Crous-Hinds aero marine beacon was put into use at the lighthouse August 1, 1961, and the light was automated in December of that year.[7] A VRB-25 aerobeacon was installed in 1999.[8] The original first-order lens is on display at the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center in Cape Disappointment State Park. The fourth-order lens is exhibited at the Columbia River Maritime Museum in Astoria, Oregon.[9]
In November 2012, the Coast Guard turned over ownership of the light station to Washington State Parks. Repair and restoration efforts are being undertaken by the state and an independent preservation group, Keepers of the North Head Lighthouse,[8] which is an arm of the non-profit Friends of the Columbia River Gateway.
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October 26th, 2020
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