How many Birdcage Lantern Rooms?

How many Birdcage Lantern rooms are left?

Cape St. George (Florida) is one, along with Selkirk (New York) and Waugoshance Shoal(Michigan).

Can anyone think of any more?

Eric, I think Old Cape Henry is a birdcage. I know I've been told that, but have not seen it in print. What do you think? It sort of looks like one but not quite.

Judy

Old Bailey's Harbor WI

"A bird-cage lantern was the style of lantern common to American lighthouses in the early years of the nineteenth century. When Fresnel lenses were introduced to the country in the 1850's, most lighthouses were retrofitted with new lanterns, as the older ones could not support the new style of lens. Consequently, fewer than a dozen lighthouses with original bird-cage lanterns survive in the United States; those that do were discontinued before they could be fitted for the new lantern.

The lanterns received their name because of their appearance; they are shaped like wire bird cages."
- Wipedia

Selkirk Lighthouse

" No sign of any of the early lamp apparatus remains today, and we are one of only four lighthouses in existence to still have the original unmodified 'birdcage' lantern structure."

web page

Actually, Waugoshance is considered a modified bird cage. The lantern room was made taller during construction to accomodate the Fresnel that would be installed. It was originally designed to hold an older lamp style, maybe the Winslow-Lewis one?

Judy, I think you are right the Old Cape Henry may be one also. I will research some more.

Eric, I did write to John Starling, keeper at Old & New Cape Henry and he says that Old Cape Henry is a birdcage.

Judy

My mind is a bit fuzzy, but seems to me there is a Bird Cage lantern room light in Rhode Island. We saw it from a distance at the 1998 Reuion. HELP!

John,

Prudence Island LH in RI is a birdcage- here's a link to a photo.

Dennis

http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=684

That's the one, Dennis. Thanks.

So the list of bird-cage lantern room lights still standing (or in parts) includes:

Bailey Harbor (Old) WI
Cape Henry (Old) VA
Cape St. George FL (Not presently standing, but hopes to)
Prudence Island RI
Selkirk NY
Waugoshance MI

I've seen and photographed five of the six (missed Cape St. George FL; I've got to make a Gulf Coast trip sometime.)

Thanks all for your help.

John, you might want to wait just a bit to visit, as several lighthouses in the panhandle could be open in the next year or two. St. Marks (only open very limited time at present), Crooked River,San Blas and of course Cape St. George. Also the privately owned St. Joe will be getting a lantern room in the near future (you are allowed to take pictures from the side of the road for non commercial purpose).

I'm bringing back an old topic, but I've been reseaching birdcage lanterns for awhile and I think I found more.
Stony Point, NY
Inch Arran, Ontario
Queen's Wharf, Ontario-looks like one but no references as such Scituate, MA one reference its a 1930 replica.
Last two I'm not sure of.Any clarifications, deletions or additions?

Laura

Birdcage lantern rooms you might check out. original Ned's Point MA, Mount Desert Rock ME 1830, Old Cape Charles VA, & Frank's Island LA 1823.

M G

Sabine Pass, LA qualify?




Sandy

Working on it. Sabine Pass looks like one, though the outer framework is different. Franks Island is gone, fell in 2002, I think.

I agree Sabine Pass looks like one.

MG Old Cape Charles is gone and the other 2: Ned's Point and Mount Desert Rock don't look like birdcage lanterns to me.

This shot of Frank's Island (Pass a l'Outre) Light, LA was taken in June, 2008. The lantern room is in the water to the right of the tower.



The legs the keeper's dwelling stood on can be seen behind and slightly left of the tower.

Hi Laura,

From your post, I wasn't sure if you were only interested in existing birdcage lantern rooms or were interested in all lights with birdcages whether or not they no longer existed (Old Cape Charles) or whether the light still existed, but the birdcage was replaced by a newer lantern room (i.e., Ned's Point & Mount Desert Rock). I was aware that all the birdcage lights I mentioned no longer exist with birdcages. Below is a USCG link showing a very old photo of Ned's Point with its birdcage.

http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/nedpointBird.JPG


Incidentally very old photos of the following MA. lights seem to confirm that they all formerly had birdcage lantern rooms. Bird Island, Chatham, Hyannis Rear Range, old Marblehead, Nobska, Palmer Island, Race Point, Straitsmouth, Tarpaulin, Ten Pound Island, West Chop.


Sabine Pass lantern room shown in Sandy's post was definitely classified as a birdcage lantern room.


And last but not least, an existing light with some of its birdcage STILL intact is Fishing Battery Lighthouse, MD. see Lighthouse Depot link below

http://www.lighthousedepot.com/lite_explorer.asp?action=display_photo_details&pk=5791


MG

MG,

Your link differs dramatically from this one:


http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=412

Any idea why?

Sandy

The image linked to in MG's posting looks like Old Bailey's Harbor in Door County. Looking at images of Fishing Battery I sure don't see anything that resembles a bird cage.

Agreed, Dave. Possible Lighthouse Depot's got it wrong? Pass along the error to Tony or direct to LD? You? Me? MG?

Sandy

Sandy just to clarify Pass a L'outre and Franks island are 2 seprate lighthouses. Franks Island was a Brick structure that finally fell into the swamps back in 2002. Pass a L'outre is a iron tower, that lost it's lantern room in 2005 due to Katrina.

The Shanklins have a page on both lights on their website. http://www.thelighthousepeople.com/Gallery/Louisiana/Louisiana_Index.html

Don't think there is an issue, Sandy. The article attached to those images just talks about endangered lights and has a whole string of images running down the side. While the images do represent the endangered lights they are not identified as to which one they are.

Tony and HL have nothing to do with the LHD site so that would not be the path to take. However, I don't believe there is a problem with what is on the page.

Thanks guys. Obviously "skated" over that they were two separate lights. Probably something to do with the aging process. . . .

Sandy

Although there were many, probably hundreds of lighthouses with birdcage lanterns, there are only a few left. So far we have:
MA- Scituate
RI- Prudence Is
NY- Selkirk
NY- Stony Point
VA- Cape Henry
FL- Cape St George
LA- Sabine Pass
WI- Baileys Harbor MI- Waugashance
Canadian:
NB- Inch Arran
ON- Queens Harbor

Scituate is a replica, is Cape St George? Waugashance is a modified and badly damaged. While Baileys Harbor and Sabine Pass are also badly damaged. I have not been ably to find a specific definition of a birdcage lantern, does anyone have a reference? No idea yet about any other countries. Any more corrections, additions or deletions?
And Sandy, that was a birdcage lantern in the water in your picture of Pass A L'Outre.

Might have another. Ship Shoal LA