Learn About: A Light in the Storm

A Light in the Storm: Learn About Lighthouses: Q & A

What is a Lighthouse?

A Lighthouse is a high tower with a bright light at the top, located at strategic points along the coastline. Their purpose is to warn sailors of dangerous reefs beneath the water or rocky coasts and to guide ships to safe harbors. Lighthouses either warn a ship to stay away, or tell them that this is a safe harbor, using different patterns of flashing lights.

How does a Lighthouse work?

A group of lights are mounted on a rotating base, which creates the illusion of a flash as it turns. With the development of the Fresnel Lens (fr nél lènz), designed in 1822, by Augustin Jean Fresnel, the light was brightened considerably, making it visible to sailors at much greater distances at sea.

The Fresnel lens surrounds the lamp and aims the light out towards the sea, bending and focusing the rays of light into a single beam, which shines in a specific direction for the sailors to see.

The main source of power for the light today is electricity. But before there was electricity, different fuels were used to illuminate the lamps. First, the lamps were fire lit by wood and coal, then bales of oakum (tar-soaked hemp fibers) and pitch (a sticky substance obtained from tar), and rows of candles. Later, lamps were lit by burning other fuels such as sperm whale oil (produced by cooking the blubber of whales), lard oil (from animal fat), and kerosene (a fuel much like gasoline with a petroleum base), among others.

With the building of an enclosed lantern room, it became possible to use candles for the light. The first lighthouse to do this had 60 candles in the lamp. Most lighthouses used far fewer candles arranged in a circular candelabra, chandelier or on a frame.

The first lighthouse to use electricity in the United States was the Statue of Liberty in 1886. The Statue of Liberty was used as a lighthouse for the first fifteen years of its existence.

Lighthouse keepers use a foghorn to produce the sound to warn sailors of danger when fog is too thick for the light to be seen. The first foghorn, a canon, was used in 1719 at the Boston light.

Other devices were used to make different noises of warning in the case of fog. Fog bells were used, as well as reed trumpets and sirens. The sounds were generally low pitched and mournful. Each foghorn emitted a specific number of blasts every minute so it could be distinguished from other lighthouses in the fog. Today, an automatic sensor, which detects moisture in the air, turns on the fog signals when needed.

What were the duties of the Lighthouse keepers?

Before electricity, the lighthouse keeper had to light the lamp at sunset and put it out at sunrise. During an eight-hour watch they had to climb up the tower one to three times a night to check on the lamp and wind the weights. They earned the nickname "Wickie" because one of their chores was to trim the burnt lamp wick so it wouldn't smoke and dirty the lens.

The brass in the lighthouse had to be polished and all the windows cleaned. Often it took an entire day to clean and polish just the lens. It was important to keep the lens and the lantern room windows clean so the light would be as bright as possible.

A daily log had to be kept by the lighthouse keepers detailing everything including the weather, wind direction and speed, and the amount of fuel consumed by the light.

What is happening to Lighthouses today?

Today there is only one lighthouse in the country that is not fully automated. Boston Light, the first lighthouse built in the United States, is still run by lighthouse keepers. The rest of the lighthouses in the United States are automated. Lighthouses that are not necessary because of today's technology are being turned over to various government agencies or non-profit local organizations to maintain. Many retired lighthouses, including Fenwick Lighthouse where Wickie lived, are open to the public.

Some Lighthouse Facts

The first known lighthouse was the Pharos in Alexandria, Egypt. It was constructed between 300 and 280 B.C. and stood 450 feet high. The lighthouse was destroyed in stages by earthquakes and invaders before being completely destroyed in the 1300s.

One of the oldest lighthouses still standing is La Coruna in Spain, dating from around 20 B.C. Another, constructed by Romans in 40 B.C., stands on the Cliffs of Dover in Britain.
Built in 1716, the lighthouse at Boston on Little Brewster Island was the first in America. The first keeper was George Worthylake.
Built in 1872, the tallest lighthouse, at Cape Hatteras, NC, stands 196 feet high.

The most expensive lighthouse built in America is the St. George Reef, off Crescent City, CA. It cost $715,000 and took ten years to construct (1882 - 1892).

Although 1,500 lighthouses have been built in the United States, there have never been more than 850 lighthouses in operation at once.

Lighthouses could be run by as many as five, or as few as one keeper.

Uniforms were introduced into the Lighthouse Service in 1884.

Keepers were paid lower middle class wages. George Worthylake, the first keeper in the States, was paid 50 pounds ($250) a year. By today's standards, it was the equivalent of earning $16,000 a year. During the 19th century, the Head Keeper's salary ranged from $250 to $600, but others were paid less.

There were many female lighthouse keepers (the U.S. Lighthouse Society has files on 80), many of whom obtained their position when a spouse or male relative died.

The most powerful optic produces a light seen 25 miles out at sea.

Towers are given special painted patters - diamond shapes, spirals, stripes, etc. - or colors to distinguish them from each other. These are called "day marks."

Lighthouse Terms:

AEROBEACO - A modern-day type of light presently used in many lighthouses to produce a "characteristic"

ASTRAGAL - Metal bar (running vertically or diagonally) dividing the lantern room glass into sections

CHARACTERISTIC - Individual flashing pattern of each light

DAYMARK - Unique color scheme and/or pattern that identifies a specific lighthouse during daylight hours.

FIXED LIGHT - A steady, non-flashing beam

FOG SIGNAL - A device that provides a specific loud noise as a guide for ships in dense fog

FRESNEL LENS (fr nél lènz ) - A type of optic consisting of a convex lens and many prisms of glass that focus and intensify the light through reflection and refraction

GALLERY - On a lighthouse tower, a platform or walkway or balcony located outside the watch room and/or lantern room

KEEPER - The person who cares for the light in the lighthouse.

LAMP - The lighting apparatus inside a lens

LANTERN ROOM - Glassed-in housing at the top of a lighthouse tower containing the lamp and lens

LENS - A curved piece of glass for bringing together or spreading rays of light passing through it

LIGHTHOUSE - A lighted beacon of major importance in navigation

LIGHT STATION - A complex containing the lighthouse tower and all of the outbuildings like the keeper's living quarters, fuel house, boathouse, hog-signaling building, etc.

LOG - A book for maintaining records, similar to a diary

NAVIGATION - Travel over water

ORDER - Size of the Fresnel lens, which determines the brightness and distance the light will travel

PHAROLOGIST - One who studies or is interested in lighthouses

PRISM - A transparent piece of glass that refracts or disperses light

REFLECT - To bend or throw backlight

REFRACT - To bend of slant rays of light

REVOLVING LIGHT - A light that produces a flash or characteristic

SPIDER LAMP - Shallow brass pan containing oil and several solid wicks

WATCH ROOM - A room immediately below the lantern room, or service room, where fuel and other supplies were kept and where the keeper prepared the lanterns for the night and often stood watch

"WICKIE" - A nickname given to lighthouse keepers and assistants, like Amelia, derived from the task of trimming the wick of the lamps

Links about Lighthouses:

Lighting the Lights

Teacher's Lighthouse Resource, K-4

Lighthouse Keepers

Performances for Young Audiences | Kennedy Center Theater for Young Audiences on Tour | KC Home Page

Illustrations by Ray Cruz.Used with permission by Anthenum Books.