Battery Point Light
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| Location: | Crescent City, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) |
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| Foundation: | Natural Emplaced |
| Construction: | Brick |
| Year first lit: | 1856 |
| Deactivated: | 1965-1982 |
| Automated: | 1953 |
| Tower shape: | white cylindrical brick tower on square granite house |
| Height: | 45 ft |
| Original lens: | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Characteristic: | white flash every 30 s. |
Battery Point Light is a lighthouse in Crescent City, California, United States. It is registered as California Historical Landmark number 951.
[edit] History
It was one of the first lighthouses on the California coast. Rugged mountains and unbridged rivers meant coastal travel was essential for the economic survival of this region. In 1855, Congress appropriated $15,000 for the construction of a lighthouse on the tiny islet, which is connected to Battery Point by an isthmus at low tide. Although not included in the 1852 contract by the U.S. Lighthouse Service for the first eight west coast lighthouses, the Battery Point Lighthouse was actually lit ten days before the Humboldt Harbor Lighthouse, the last of the original eight to become operational. The fourth-order Fresnel lens was lit in 1856. The lighthouse was automated in 1953, and a modern 375mm lens replaced the fourth-order Fresnel lens. Theophilis Magruder was the station's first keeper; Wayne Piland was its last before automation in 1953. In 1964, the strongest earthquake ever recorded in the northern hemisphere with a moment magnitude of 9.2, causing a tsunami. The lighthouse survived, but the following year, the modern beacon that replaced the Fresnel lens in the tower was switched off, and a flashing light at the end of the nearby breakwater served as the harbor's navigational aid. In 1982, the light in the lighthouse tower was lit again, and the Battery Point Lighthouse was listed as a private aid to navigation.
[edit] Visiting the Lighthouse
The lighthouse is open to the public April 1 through October 31. It is recommended that you research tide times before visiting, as the tide rises very quickly at the point and the land bridge to the lighthouse can disappear rapidly. Tours of the lighthouse (given by the resident couple) cost $3 as of June 2005. There is a small gift shop.
[edit] External links
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