U S Coast Guard
FAQS from the Historian's office

What are some interesting facts about
lighthouses?

First Lighthouse - Boston, MA (1716)

Oldest Lighthouse in Service - Sandy Hook, NJ (1764)

Newest Shoreside Lighthouse - Charleston, SC (1962)

Tallest Lighthouse - Cape Hatteras, NC (191 ft)

Highest Lighthouse (above sea level) - Cape Mendocino, CA (515 ft)

First American-built West Coast Lighthouse - Alcatraz Lighthouse (1854)

First lighthouse to use electricity - Statue of Liberty (1886)

First Great Lakes lighthouses - Buffalo, NY & Erie, PA (1818)

Most expensive lighthouse (adjusted cost) - St. George’s Reef, CA (1891)

First lighthouse built completely by the Federal Government - Montauk Point, NY (1797)

Founding of the US Lighthouse Service - 7 August 1789

US Lighthouse Service merged with the Coast Guard - 7 July 1939

For a link to this page and other information:
http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/h_lighthousefacts.html


TheLightkeeper