Fort Point Light
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Location: | Golden Gate Bridge, California |
|---|---|
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) |
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| Foundation: | Brick and Granite third system fortification |
| Construction: | Cast Iron |
| Year first lit: | 1864 |
| Year first constructed: | 1853 |
| Deactivated: | 1934 |
| Tower shape: | white Nine-sided |
| Height: | 27 ft (110 feet above sea level) |
| Original lens: | Fourth order Fresnel lens (1864) (removed) |
| Characteristic: | Alternate white & red flashes 5 sec, 30 sec revolution |
Fort Point Light is a lighthouse located directly beneath the south anchorage of the Golden Gate Bridge in California. The current tower is the third tower to stand at the point.
[edit] History
The first Fort Point Lighthouse was completed in 1853. It was destroyed in 1855 to make room for the construction of Fort Point. The second lighthouse at Fort Point was a squat wooden 36 foot tower tower with four sides that sloped up to a square watch room. It was built on the narrow ledge between the fort and the water. In 1855, the light from a fourth-order Fresnel lens was lit for the first time. The tower was demolished in 1863 to allow corrections to the seawall. Fort Point’s current lighthouse was a small iron skeleton tower positioned atop the fort and had a fifth-order lens. In 1902, the lens was upgraded to a fourth-order lens, which produced alternating white and red flashes. Originally bell, later fog trumpet in concrete for signal building built in 1904
Work on the Golden Gate Bridge began in 1933. A fog signal and navigational light were placed at the base of the bridge’s south tower, and in 1934, the lighthouse was deactivated because of the construction of the Golden Gate Bridge because the bridge would block off a major part of the light from the site.
Historical information from the United States Coast Guard web site:
National Register of Historic Places part of listing Reference #70000146. Fort Point National Historic Site added to list in 1970.
Keepers: B.F. Deane (1855-?), J.C. Frachey (?), George D. Wise (1860), Henry Hickson (1860-?), John D. Jenkins (?-1863), George W. Omey (1863), Scott Blanchard (1864-1866), R.S. Martin (1866-1869), Frank Thompson (1869-1871), J.T. Hule (1871-1878), James Rankin (1878), Assistants: Ephrin Sohn (1856-?), Return J. Henter (1857-1859), George D. Wise (1858-1860), D. Dennison (1860), G.W. Thomas (1860), James Gormley (1860-?), James Jenkins (1860-?), James Heron (1860-?), C.H. Warren (?), G.W. Omey (?-1863), G.A. Braley (1863), J.J. Wickersham (1863-1865), Ann Blanchard (1865-1866), William Ferry (1866-1867), Mrs. Rachel L. Jones (1867-1868), Theresa Welch (1868), F.B. Morehouse (1868-1869), Mrs. Mary Thompson (1869-1871), Sophie Hule (1874-1878), John Riley (1878-1879), H.P. McKeever (1879), Frank P Stanyan (1879)
[edit] Previous Towers
- 1st Tower
- Construction Date: 1853
- Description: Cape Cod Style with integral tower (Never Lit)
- Fate/Disposition: Demolished after 3 months to make room for construction of Fort Point
- 2nd Tower
- Construction Date: 1855
- Description: Two-story Cape Cod style truncated wood structure between Fort Point and the seawall
- Fate/Disposition: Demolished after 8 years when the Army needed to make corrections to the seawall.
