I, like many of us, keep a list of the lighthouses I have seen. This list is, however, hard to classify, as I often debate whether a light REALLY counts. Here are a few examples:

-Pierhead lights. I havn't seen any, but do they count as one or two lights?

-Faux or not? It is hard sometimes to figure out what is and isn't a faux light. Sea Pines, SC is VERY faux, yet it is considered real. But what about Sturgeon Point, NY? It was designed as an advertisment for a development, and looks like a pencil. But Penrose lists it, as do the websites. Where to draw the line?

-The Far Factor. How far is too far for a light to be to count? This could substanially knock my Lightlist down about 5-7 lights. Was the little stick that kinda looked like Tarpaulin Cove REALLY eligible? Or should I hop on a ferry fast?

These are my inner debates...let me know your opinions and any others you have.

I count them all Greg. If a pier has two lighthouses, then I count two. Same thing with range lights. The distant ones may be far away but if you're looking in the right place and you can see something and it's not moving I figure it's the lighthouse! As for faux lights, some are reproductions of actual lighthouses, many of which actualy work, so I count them too. I don't count lighthouses on restaurants, people's lawns and such. Sometimes I call those "bonus lights"!

If you're making a list for yourself count them however you want. You can always add notations such as "two lights", "distant view", "faux" or "reproduction".

Greg,

You just know ...

You are doing this for your own self, at the behest of some inner feeling, some intrinsic drive.

A list is just a number, and unless we have goals of surpassing "the Lighthouse People," it is always going to be a personal number.

To echo Sue, count them anyway that makes sense and gives you inner satisfaction. You cannot let others validate what you decide.

AND, bottom line ... you can write down "Cape Hatteras" but nothing can compare with the first sighthing of it (especially in the prior setting). You can write down "Turkey Point," but until you trek the woods and clear the clearing, and stand on the bluff and get the lightkeeper's view, all you've done is written down two words.

Greg, lighthouses are visual and emotional, not literal and listed. Count them anyway you choose, but do not spend too much time on debate.

Spend more time exploring and visiting.

Grover

Greg,

I agree with the others- if you can see it it counts. It's not the same as being up close and personal or getting into the Lighthouse but I count any I can see.

I do put faux Lighthouses in a seperate category and don't count them as Lighthouses seen- except for ones like Sea Pines which although it is a fake Lighthouse it has been used by vessels on the inland waterway so it counts. It also counts because it was the Lighthouse that got me involved with HL and Lighthouses on a serious level.

Grover,

I can't comment on what it's like to have seen Cape Hatteras but I'll agree with your comment on turkey Point.

We got there this past Monday morning. It was a beautiful sunny day with a light breeze and the walk through the woods to the Lighthouse was very pleasant- the mud had dried up by then- and the view from the top of the cliff is amazing. Wes pent about 20 minutes or so walking around out there. I was hoping that you could see Havre De Grace from there, but you can't. You can see it from the trail out to Turkey Point though.

I do have a question for anyone out there in the know- are the wooden stakes that are placed near the Lighthouse the spot where the Keeper's house stood? That would be my guess without looking it up.

Dennis

I would say "ditto" to the above. I've never stopped to count the number of lighthouses I have seen. Just never thought about keeping those kind of statistics. I was never into climbing as many lights as I could. I always photograph every light I visit and usually reach out and touch it. Don't ask me why, because I couldn't tell you.

I do enjoy return visits to area lights. I'm always looking for the better sky or water, or just doing the "360" around the light if possible, looking for that different composition and a better photo.

Bob

Dennis, you are correct.

Robert

Robert,

Thanks for the response. I went onto several sites connected to or about Turkey Point and even sent an e-mail to the contact on the official turkey Point site and got no response as of yet.

I thought that the answer was that it was the outline of where the House stood, but it's good to ahve it confirmed by someone who should know.

Dennis

I have debated with a few people about what a lighthouse is. To me a faux lighthouse should still count if it serves the same way the official lighthouses did. It marks a harbor or dangerous place and is lit all night. I also count both lights for range lights. They could not have served their purpose without both lights. I do make note of the faux lighthouses in my lighthouse list, so I have two counts, one with faux and one without.

I agree, it's whichever ones you want to count. As for pierheads, I can get sorta picky. For example, St. Joe and Grand Haven I count as one even though there are two because I view them as one unit, probably because of ther catwalks. However, the inner and outer pier lights in Duluth I count as two, since I find them to be two very separate, distinct lights. It's all in how you see it. As for ones that are far away, If I can tell it's a lighthouse, and I can tell which one, chalk it up! Faux lighthouses, I probably wouldn't count them unless one of my books did, plus a couple of exceptions (Governor's Island, SC, we were told about that one before our trip down south). And sometimes with more modern lights that sorta lack personality, I might count them, but I bas it on age. If it's an older (we're talking maybe 40s or 50s and earlier) modern light, I count it, though it took a lot of convincing on Mombo's part to get me to count the one at Cleveland, NY on Oneida Lake!

But once more, it's all up to you. If you're concerned about it, I'd say Mombo's notation idea is the way to go.
Hope this helped...

My method is that if a light is listed on the nautical charts as a 'private aid to navigation', I'd count it.

I count the 'real lighthouses' even if what's left is a pile of rocks.

When there are two towers connected such as Grand Haven, that's one lightstation, but two lights. Front & rear range lights count as two.

Now here's a quandry: A permanent buoy was built on a caisson in 35' of water where the Lightship Huron used to anchor in lower Lake Huron. Is this a lighthouse? I don't know the height of the light above the lake level, but it's considerable, not like an anchored buoy.

Anyone have a picture of this buoy? Any of you sailors able to ID this on your nautical charts? Does it have a name?

John,

Does this mean I get to count Back River,VA. after seeing and taking photos of the remaining foundation slag?

I wouldn't count that one John. IMO it's just a navigational aid that happens to be where a lightship used to be. More permanent in nature than many, granted, but hey if you counted the lightship already...? You could always make a notation of it wherever you've got the lightship listed.

Not sure what the VA dealie is. If it's the remaining portion of what used to be a lighthouse, I think I'd list it and classify it as "Ruins". There seem to be a number of that sort of thing if you know where to look.

In some cases there is no visible evidence of a lighthouse but a keepers house remains, although it may in some cases have been moved. I count those as "Keepers House Only".

Last weekend Jakers and I were up at Isle La Motte in VT. Naturally we count the existing lighthouse. In addition there is a stone house nearby where the first light was displayed from an upstairs window. But can we count that also? I'd say no but a notation to it's existance would seem appropriate. I'm sure that similar "lighted windows" were used lots of times. Most likely most of these houses are gone, as are previous light towers, that were all eventually replaced by existing lighthouses. In each case, it seems only fair to count one lighthouse. Unless it's Old and New Cape Henry, ha!

The Roman Coliseum is also a ruin, but hundreds of thousands of people visit it every year.

bobo

The house with the lighted window should count as a lighthouse (assuming they keep the light burning all night) and I know of one that still stands is Bloody Point in South Carolina. It is a private house now.