What is the tallest lighthouse from bottom to top in the USA?

The answer is NOT Cape Hatteras or the Statue of Liberty. (I not referring the SOL a lighthouse)

If there is an accepted light that is taller than Hatteras, the generally acknowledged tallest US light, it is one of the most hidden pieces of information there is. The height of Hatteras varies depending on who the figure comes from. The NPS puts the height at 193' 2" from the sidewalk to the top of the ball vent. Lightning rod not included nor is any part of the light below ground.

There are lights that are higher above sea level, but those figures are not accepted as valid lighthouse heights. Their focal plane would be higher, but they are not taller structures.

You used present tense, so that would mean it still exists. Which would be Hatteras. If it could be a past lighhouse, there was Hell Gate, NY. According to Lighthouse Depot "1884: 255-foot Square pyramidal iron skeletal tower. ... The original tower at this location was the tallest iron-skeleton lighthouse ever built at 255 feet. It was replaced by a wooden lighthouse after just four years of service."
But, its a trick question..... any clues?
Wait a minute.."top to bottom"... that could mean the foundation also. Is there a light with an especially deep foundation? Maybe an offshore light in deep water, with piles? More research!

This one is 220 feet tall, which is taller than Hatteras.

And the Perry Monument in Lake Erie, which has a light at the top, is even taller. But I wouldn't call a monument a lighthouse.

You are on the right track. And, I'm not talking about an off shore structure either.

If you're counting foundation, do you happen to know the size of Hatteras's? I have pictures of the foundation from when it was moved, that is the foundation it stands on today...pretty deep. But then, foundations are not considered to be part of the height of a lighthouse.

I'll stand by Dave's statement... The answer to your question will be interesting. Sorry, I can't help being skeptical.

Judy

This lighthouse is not only still existing, its still operational.

Are you positive you are asking about actual height (tallest) and not focal plane?

Judy

^^^

Its actual height..From the bottom to the top.

Are you talking about a lighthouse in the traditional sense, or another type of structure?

Oak Island -
24 piles 67 foot into rock
Capped with 3' of concrete plus
158' tower equals 228'
Hatteras to top of lightning rod is 210' but I can't find how deep the foundation is.
Not sure this is the one, but 70 feet of foundation would be hard to beat

The accepted measurement for a building, lighthouses included, is from the sidewalk to the top of the ball vent. Lightning rods do not count because they are not considered part of the permanent building. Same goes for things like antennas and such on top of the light.

DING DING DING DING!!!

We have a winner!!! Oak Island, it is. It's all one piece from the foundation to the top. It was built to withstand a category 5 hurricane. Its not only one of the strongest lighthouses in existance, its also one of the most powerful. It can be seen 25 miles out at sea.

But are you sure???? In my searching I found that some Texas towers had piles up to 170' (Anatomy of a Lighthouse). Foundation information was hard to find. If a book or website told me 'what' the foundation was it very seldom told 'how deep.' Once I had a glimmer of which lighthouse, I verified it in LighthouseFriends.
Maybe you should have asked for "longest vertical dimension". Alot of people are very fond of Cape Hatteras (including me) and it was almost like you were taking something from an old friend. Actually it was a great trick question and alot of fun. I am still not convinced its the "longest" though.

I wasn't going to respond once you gave your answer, but...I just can't help myself.

Counting the depth of a foundation?
If that were ever to become an accepted part of the measure of height, you'd need to collect a lot of data for comparison, and a lot would be an unknown, so you'd never have the data you needed.

And, if you had a 2nd North Carolina lighthouse vying for the "position" of tallest against Hatteras, a North Carolina light, don't you think it would have made the news by now?

Did you ask the Friends of Oak Island group what they think?
Contact Friends of Oak Island

I don't mean to offend you, but some things are just not up for dispute. Even if you were going for "longest", you would not have enough data to come up with a winner.

Judy

I spend time in both the Architectural and Structural engineering fields. In my experience the height of a stuctural is measured from grade and not from the bottom of it's foundation.

Like I said...Trick question.

Lighthouser, you didn't offend me, but it seems as though I've offended you. Sorry about that.

This is from Friends of Oak Island...

http://www.oakislandlighthouse.org/images/floorplan.gif

Not offended at all. Just trying to explain where the height starts. What is below grade is never included in the height.

The Friends of Oak Island group would never add the foundation to the height of the tower of Oak Island, and would never tell you that it is taller than Hatteras. Their diagram on their site simply shows the height to be 148'. At another place on the same site, they tell you the height is 158'. They also tell you that Hatteras is America's tallest lighthouse.

Depending on what web site you look at, the height will vary somewhat, and that's pretty true regardless of what light you research. But Hatteras will still be the undisputed tallest in the USA.

Judy

I hope the controversy doesn't keep anyone from posing a 'difficult to phrase' question. I really enjoyed it. It made me think about the different kinds of lighthouses and the types ground they are on. It made me remember that there was an extremely tall lighthouse once in New York with 'Hell" in the name - I think that was from Tim Harrelson's "Lost Lighthouses". I had three different books out last night, and searched the internet on my Blackberry (not easy). I do think of foundations as a major part of a structure (though not part of the height) because on my projects it can sometimes take more than six months to 'get out of the ground'. This past August was the first time I got to see Oak Island, and now I know more about it than I did. I learned about Rappahannock, never heard of that one before. I do understand that we don't have all the information on foundations to check all lighthouses, believe me I was looking. But I figured that if there was an exceptionally deep foundation I would find a mention somewhere. I still want to check out the Texas towers, so I'm not convinced that this question is completely answered. I'm just a Newbie, but I hope there are more questions like this, that will make me look and think.
Oh, and Hatteras is the tallest!

Kudos to all those who brought ideas to this question. Hope there are some more good questions for the CF folks to ponder. Thanks for posing, Tybee! I was thinking it was the monument on South Bass Island too as someone suggested in an earlier post, although I knew it didn't classify as a lighthouse...figured the answer was a "tricky" one.... Heh, heh, heh.

:tired

It was fun fiollowing this topic. Might be a good idea for a new game in the Lighthouse Games forum. Lighthouse Trivia???

^^^

Sure, why not? I like trivia.

New candidate! According to National Park Service Cape Hatteras site:

^^^

I missed this reply...Charleston Light? Is that the Morris Island Lighthouse? That would make sense because its sitting in water.

No, one of your namesakes - Sullivan!

DOH! I honestly had no idea Sullivans Island was that deep.