West Point Lighthouse, Seattle, Washington
My family visited Washington and took a ferry from Seattle to the San Juan Islands. As I braved the bracing wind (it was Thanksgiving weekend) to photograph lighthouses along the shore, a man standing near me remarked to his friend that he would never understand some people's passion for lighthouses.
His comment made me think about why I am drawn to lighthouses. I suppose seeing a solitary beacon on a shoreline initially attracted me to them. I imagined what life must have been like for the wives and children who lived in the lighthouses. My feelings intensified after reading about the keepers' dedication to saving lives despite poor pay and living conditions.
Here is the list of lighthouses I have photographed so far. Pictures are available for many of them. I took the photos myself. So far I have visited lighthouses in California, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Rhode Island (okay, it's a stretch!), Vermont and Washington. My husband photographed one in India.
Washington
Mukilteo Lighthouse, Seattle, WA, 1997
Alki Point Lighthouse, Seattle, WA, 1997
West Point Lighthouse, Seattle, WA, 1997
Lime Kiln Lighthouse, San Juan Island, WA, 1997
Cattle Point Lighthouse, San Juan Island, WA, 1997
Burrows Island Lighthouse, WA, 1997
Admiralty Head Lighthouse, Seattle, WA, 1997
California:
Point Pinos Lighthouse, 1997
Pigeon Point Lighthouse, 1997
Point Montara Lighthouse, 1997
Fort Point Lighthouse, 1997
Point Bonita Lighthouse, 1995
Point Reyes Lighthouse, 1995
Site of Lime Pt. Lighthouse, 2000
Alcatraz Lighthouse, 2000
New York:
Statue of Liberty, 2001
Old Sodus Lighthouse, NY, 1997
Charlotte Genessee Lighthouse, NY, 1997
Sodus Outer Pierhead, NY, 1997
Rochester Harbor Light, NY, 1997
There is a really nice Seaway Trail that goes from Barcelona, NY to Ogdensburg, NY. At 2 of the lighthouses we visited, there were beaches, playgrounds, and snack shacks right at the lighthouses. The Trail is well marked and a pleasant drive. I picked up a map of the Trail at the Charlotte Genessee Lighthouse.
New Jersey:
Twin Lights of Navesink, 2001
Sandy Hook Lighthouse, 2001
Sea Girt Lighthouse, 2001
Barnegat Lighthouse, 2001
Absecon Lighthouse, 2001
Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, 2001
Finn's Point Range Light, 2001
Cape May Lighthouse, 2001
East Point Lighthouse, 2001
If you're looking for a good book on NJ lighthouses, I used "Sentinals of the Shore: A Guide to Lighthouses and Lightships of New Jersey" by Bill Gately.
Massachusetts:
Nauset Beach Lighthouse, 1994
Three Sisters Lighthouse, 1994
New Bedford Lightship, 1994
Cape Cod (Highland) Lighthouse, 1994
Connecticut:
Stonington Harbor Lighthouse, 1994
Rhode Island:
Lighthouse at the Doubletree Hotel in Newport, 1994
North Carolina:
Price's Creek Lighthouse, 1998 (We had to take a ferry from Southport to get the photo.)
Ocracoke Lighthouse, 1999
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, just before it was moved, 1999
We took the Swan Quarter (car) Ferry to the island and stayed for a night. Then we drove north to the end of the island and crossed over to see Cape Hatteras being moved.
Lake Champlain:
Well, my book of lighthouses from The Lighthouse People insisted that there were 10 lighthouses on Lake Champlain, but I couldn't get many people in VT to believe me! The people at the Maritime Museum sent me a copy of a newspaper article with the history of the lighthouses, but no directions to them.
While in VT, I found a wonderful little book for $5 at Borders Bookstore (you know, the chain) called, "Lake Champlain Lighthouses: A Guide to the Historic Lighthouses of Lake Champlain with Illustrations by Sid Couchey." This book gives history and descriptions of where to go to view the lighthouses.
With book in hand, here are my pictures. I've added more-detailed driving directions than I found in the book.We started at Colchester Reef Lighthouse and went counterclockwise around the Lake.
Colchester Reef Lighthouse, Shelburne, VT, 2000
This lighthouse was in the water, but has been moved to the Shelburne Museum in Shelburne, VT, just south of Burlington. I didn't want to go through the museum ($17pp in high season), so I stood at the side of the road, just outside the Museum's fence for the picture.
Windmill Point Lighthouse, Alburg, VT, 2000
Get on 87 North. Exit at Rte. 11 East and go to Rouses Point. Go over the bridge to Alburg, VT (Rte. 2). Take the first turn south, 1 mi. east of the bridge (Windmill Point Rd.) Go to the end of the road and park.
Isle La Motte Lighthouse, Grand Isle, VT, 2000
Continue on 2 South thru Alburg. Go south on 129 to the causeway to Isle la Motte. Turn right on Shrine Rd., the right on Lighthouse Pt. Rd. Stand in the driveway of the white house at the end of the road and photograph the pink lighthouse which sticks out above the fence.
Point Au Roche Lighthouse, Beekmantown, NY, 2000
Going north on Rte. 9, turn right at Point au Roche Rd. Look for Point au Roche State Park sign. Go past the Marina. Look for a white colonial style house, about 100 yds. before the road bends to the left. The lighthouse is behind the white house, at the end of the driveway.
Cumberland Head Lighthouse, Plattsburgh, NY
According to my book, this lighthouse can only be seen from the Grand Isle Ferry, which we didn't have time for on this trip (remember, we were driving around a 126-mi. lake). You'll have to visit it for me!
Valcour Island/Bluff Point Lighthouse, Plattsburgh, NY, 2000
The way I saw this was to go to Plattsburgh, NY, going south on Rte. 22. Stop for lunch and look around the hobby shop, and ask how to get across the water to the lighthouse. The answer was, go south to the next light, turn left and go over the water, and follow signs to the parking lot at the Park. Go to the boat launch at the Park. Walk down the boat launch and take the picture of the lighthouse across the water.
Split Rock Lighthouse, Essex, NY, 2000
According to my book, this is on private land and very jealously guarded by the owner. The man at the Crown Point information center concurred. I didn't attempt a picture.
Barber Point Lighthouse, Westport, NY.
Going south on Rte. 22, at the south end of Westport, NY you will turn left on Dudley Rd. (we saw no street sign, but there was a sign for Camp Dudley, at D.L. Motors). Go 1.5 mi. and turn left on Barber Rd. Go to the end, where you will see the house and attached lighthouse. Park on the side of the dirt road, not the driveway, please. You can set up your tripod basically at the end of the driveway for this shot.
Crown Point Lighthouse, Crown Point, NY, 2000
This is comfortably located at the NY side of the (10-min.)ferry between Crown Pt., NY and Chimney Pt., VT, as part of a State Park. To see the lighthouse, turn into the campground and tell the man in the little booth that you just want to photo the lighthouse.
Juniper Island Lighthouse
is on an overgrown, poison ivy-filled, private island, according to my book, and you can only see the very tip of the tower from a boat. I skipped this one.
India:
Pondicherry Lighthouse, 1997
Here are some of my favorite lighthouse links:
Lighthouses: A Photographic Journey
Lighthouses, etc. in the National Park System
There is a really nice Seaway Trail that goes from Barcelona, NY to Ogdensburg, NY. At 2 of the lighthouses we visited, there were beaches, playgrounds, and snack shacks right at the lighthouses. The Trail is well marked and a pleasant drive. I picked up a map of the Trail at the Charlotte Genessee Lighthouse.
If you're looking for a good book on NJ lighthouses, I used "Sentinals of the Shore: A Guide to Lighthouses and Lightships of New Jersey" by Bill Gately.
We took the Swan Quarter (car) Ferry to the island and stayed for a night. Then we drove north to the end of the island and crossed over to see Cape Hatteras being moved.
Lighthouses: A Photographic Journey
Lighthouses, etc. in the National Park System
