The Lighthouses of Cabrillo National Monument

 

Old Point Loma Lighthouse.

Photo: Chris@Adobe

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse

Historical Significance When visitors enter Cabrillo National Monument, they step onto the historic grounds of the monument and a national park. The Old Point Loma Lighthouse, now a major attraction, faced periods of neglect and was even threatened with demolition throughout its history.

Construction and Challenges

California had enjoyed statehood for just a year when the United States Coast Survey party traveled west in 1851. Its mission was to chart the Pacific Coast and determine the sites for the first eight west coast lighthouses to be constructed by the U.S. government. San Diego, at the southwest boundary of the U.S., was an obvious choice for a lighthouse. The tip of Point Loma, at 422 feet above sea level, offered what seemed to be the perfect spot for a lighthouse because the light could be seen from both the ocean and bay sides.

Construction of the lighthouse began in 1854. Francis A. Gibbons and Francis X. Kelly were partners in the Baltimore firm ultimately hired for the job. They disliked the Point Loma location because it required them to build a road and bridges to haul materials to the site. Water for the mortar and plaster was brought in from a well in La Playa, about seven miles away.

 

Though some of the structures seen in this circa 1950-60s image no longer exist at the Point Loma Light Station, a signal continues to highlight the coast via an automated beacon secured on the tower's exterior gallery railing.

NPS photo.

Lighting Innovations

Before the 1850s, most U.S. lighthouses used Argand lamps and parabolic reflectors. The lights didn’t cost much, but they also didn’t produce much light (and they used a lot of oil and needed constant tending). French physicist Augustin Fresnel created a lens apparatus in 1822 that changed the way lighthouses would be illuminated. The Fresnel lens is shaped like a glass bullet with many prisms and bulls’-eyes. When the light flashes, the light is concentrated into lots of individual beams that radiate out like spokes on a wheel. When the light is fixed, the light is uninterrupted like a big sheet. There are seven sizes, or orders, of Fresnel lenses: first (the largest), second, third, three-and-a-half, fourth, fifth, and sixth (the smallest). Records indicate that a first-order lens was originally ordered for Point Loma, but a third-order lens was eventually installed.

Operations and Difficulties

Point Loma Lighthouse was put into service on November 15, 1855. Its architectural style was of Cape Cod design, with a tower centered in the two-story dwelling. The roof was tin painted in red lead; the iron lantern was also red. Initial building contracts specified Argand lighting—for Point Loma, 12 oil lamps backed by 16-inch parabolic reflectors seated on a stationary, tiered frame. But just before completion, the Lighthouse Board adopted the Fresnel lenses.

In just under 36 years of operation, 11 principal keepers and 22 assistant keepers served at Point Loma Lighthouse. Low pay, isolation, distance from town, and water collection likely influenced the high turnover. The last keeper at the old lighthouse was Robert Israel. He stayed for 18 years and then transferred to the new Point Loma Lighthouse and stayed one more year. Through time, other structures were added around the old lighthouse, including a barn, a chicken-coop, a wood/oil shed (which had been altered to accommodate assistant keepers), additional cisterns, and a catch basin.

Elevation Issues and Closure

Point Loma Lighthouse—acclaimed as the highest in the U.S.—had not been in service long before it was obvious that its elevation would be its undoing; too often, its light was obscured by fog and low clouds. A new Point Loma Light Station was established at a lower elevation in March 1891. The old lighthouse was boarded up and abandoned. The outbuildings disappeared, and vandals broke into the lighthouse and took pieces of it away. In 1913, the commanding officer at Fort Rosecrans recommended the lighthouse be torn down. But because of the magnificent view from the tower, the lighthouse was still quite popular with tourists.

 

The Point Loma Light Station, with its distinctive lighthouse and surrounding buildings, as seen from the rocky coastline. This historic site has been an essential part of San Diego’s maritime navigation system.

NPS photo

Proposed Changes and Preservation Efforts

Meanwhile, there was a movement underway to build a memorial to explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. The Order of Panama (an organization dedicated to commemorating California’s Spanish heritage) wanted to build a 150-foot tall statue of Cabrillo. The statue was to replace the old lighthouse. In October 1913, a presidential proclamation set aside the ½ acre of ground surrounding the lighthouse as Cabrillo National Monument. The proclamation cleared the way for the building of the statue. But for whatever reason, the Order of Panama never carried out its plans and the organization eventually dissolved.

Adaptive Reuse and Rehabilitation

The old lighthouse came to have several ‘lives’ through time, serving as a radio- and signal-tower, Army post-exchange, tea-house, visitor center, and who knows what else. A major ‘life-saving’ historic rehabilitation between 1933-1935 was given to the lighthouse when Cabrillo National Monument integrated with the National Park Service. The original Fresnel lens was removed from the tower within a week of the old tower’s closing in 1891; likely, it was sent either to the San Francisco lighthouse depot or to the main depot in New York for use elsewhere. Its fate has yet to be discovered. At the time of the lighthouse’s centennial, a smaller fourth-order lens with copper blanking panels was displayed in the tower and kept there for many years. Today, the lens in the lantern is of the design of the original, a third-order fixed lens manufactured by Henry-Lepaute. Only a small number of lenses installed in U.S. lighthouses were not French-made.

That the Old Point Loma Lighthouse continues to be visited and treasured by thousands of people is a wonder and certainly a testament to decades of dedication by Cabrillo National Monument.

Acknowledgments (Our thanks to Kim Fahlen and Karen Scanlon for information included in this document, edited for content and space)

 

 

Ballast Point Lighthouse, operational from August 1, 1890, with its iconic Mission Revival-style house and attached square tower. This lighthouse played a crucial role in guiding vessels through the narrow channel to San Diego's port.

NPS photo

Ballast Point Light Station

Although not part of Cabrillo National Monument, the Ballast Point Light Station became essential after the Old Point Loma Lighthouse ceased operations. Historically, stakes and lanterns guided vessels through the narrow channel of mudflats to San Diego’s port. The relocation of the Point Loma Lighthouse necessitated intensified lighting at Ballast Point.

Establishment and Features

The Ballast Point Light Station became operational on August 1, 1890. The lighthouse featured a square tower attached to a Mission Revival-style house for assistant keepers, while the principal keeper occupied a separate dwelling. For the first time in San Diego, a fog sound signal—a clockwork-tolled bell—was established to warn ships away from the point.

Lighting System

A fifth-order lens by Sautter & Lemonnier emitted a fixed white light, fueled by kerosene and acetylene before electricity. In 1920, the light was altered to green by a green glass shade. This original lens is now displayed at Cabrillo National Monument. Over time, light station personnel also maintained eight lighted buoys in the channel.

Historical Significance

The station buildings were razed in the early 1960s, with a modern beacon temporarily installed on the lighthouse tower before being moved to a wooden structure in shallow water. The stories of the keepers and their families who managed the station remain significant, despite the station's physical absence.

The Ballast Point Light Station played a crucial role in guiding vessels safely through San Diego Bay, and its history is preserved through the artifacts and stories shared at Cabrillo National Monument.

 

‘New’ Point Loma Light Station

The new Point Loma Light Station, established on March 23, 1891, marks a significant development in maritime navigation. This transition was essential after the old lighthouse was frequently obscured by fog. Keeper Robert Israel ignited the three wicks of the kerosene lamp in the newly constructed lighthouse, featuring an iron skeleton-style tower on a substantial concrete block, along with Mission Revival-style dwellings and supporting structures. The station included two clapboard dwellings, outhouses, water tanks, and an oil house. The barn from the old lighthouse was also relocated to this site.

Fresnel Lens

Initial Acquisition Acquiring a Fresnel lens for the new Point Loma Light Station was challenging. Ultimately, an 1887 Henry-Lepaute lens from Anclote Keys, Florida, was installed.

Features and Functionality This lens was notable for its alternating red and white flashes every 20 seconds, achieved through a system of ruby glass screens on every other panel. The lens used clockwork rotation to create this distinctive flashing pattern.

Modifications In 1912, the lighting system was upgraded. The lens was modified to emit a single white flash every 15 seconds. This change involved removing the ruby panels and using incandescent vapor oil to increase the light intensity, making it more effective for maritime navigation.

Technological Significance The Fresnel lens revolutionized lighthouse illumination by focusing light into powerful beams, making it visible over greater distances. The third-order lens used at Point Loma was among the most advanced of its time, exemplifying significant advancements in lighthouse technology and ensuring safer navigation for vessels along the coast.

Current Display Today, this historic lens is preserved and displayed at Cabrillo National Monument, allowing visitors to appreciate its intricate design and historical importance. The lens remains a testament to the ingenuity and technological progress of the late 19th and early 20th centuries in maritime safety.

Technological Advances

In 1913, a compressed-air fog signal was added, necessitating a third dwelling for an additional attendant. Electricity reached the station in 1928, though it was only used in the lighthouse starting in 1933, along with a new two-tone fog siren.

Coast Guard Era and Decline

The U.S. Lighthouse Service merged with the U.S. Coast Guard in 1939. Automation reduced the need for human upkeep, leading to the lighthouse’s deterioration. By 1997, the tower was condemned due to corrosion, and the lens was removed in 2001 for preservation.

Preservation Efforts

Today, a Vega rotating beacon operates from the exterior lantern gallery. In 2005, Cabrillo National Monument opened the Assistant Keepers Quarters, displaying lighthouse artifacts, including the preserved Fresnel lens.

The ‘New’ Point Loma Light Station represents an important chapter in maritime history. Despite technological challenges and the passage of time, it remains a celebrated part of Cabrillo National Monument, with preservation efforts ensuring its legacy continues.

 

A "Fixed Lens".

NPS photo

Understanding Third-Order Lighthouse Lenses

Lighthouse lenses are a critical aspect of maritime navigation, providing the necessary illumination to guide vessels safely. Among these, third-order Fresnel lenses are particularly significant due to their size and effectiveness. These lenses come in two primary types: fixed and flashing.

Fixed Lens

The Old Point Loma Lighthouse houses a fixed lens, which remains stationary. This type of lens projects a continuous, broad sheet of light visible in a full 360-degree circle. The constant illumination ensures the light is visible from all directions at all times, providing a reliable and unwavering beacon for ships.

 

A "Flashing Lens".

NPS photo

Flashing Lens

Conversely, the flashing lens, displayed in the Assistant Keepers Quarters, was originally part of the active Point Loma Light Station. This lens rotates and includes flash panels with bulls-eyes. As the lens rotates, it creates periodic flashes of light, which appear as radiant spokes when seen from a distance. This distinctive flashing pattern is designed to capture the attention of mariners, distinguishing the lighthouse from other fixed light sources.

Technological Importance

Both the fixed and flashing lenses at Point Loma are third-order, indicating their moderate size and focal length, which make them suitable for lighthouses requiring visibility over medium distances. The fixed lens ensures continuous visibility, crucial for constant navigation guidance, while the flashing lens provides a distinctive, attention-grabbing signal, ideal for marking specific hazards or guiding ships through challenging passages.

The innovation of Fresnel lenses, introduced in the early 19th century by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel, revolutionized lighthouse illumination. Prior to Fresnel's invention, lighthouses used Argand lamps with parabolic reflectors, which were less efficient and required more oil. Fresnel's design, which uses concentric rings of prisms to focus light into a powerful beam, significantly increased the reach and intensity of lighthouse beacons.

Historical Context

The installation of the Fresnel lens at Point Loma was part of a broader effort to improve maritime safety along the U.S. West Coast in the mid-19th century. The Old Point Loma Lighthouse initially used a third-order fixed lens, which was later replaced by a more advanced lens as technology progressed. The flashing lens, installed at the new Point Loma Light Station, further exemplified the technological advancements of the time.

Preservation and Legacy

Today, the lenses at Point Loma are preserved as historical artifacts, showcasing the craftsmanship and technological ingenuity of the period. The fixed lens remains in the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, while the flashing lens is displayed in the Assistant Keepers Quarters. These lenses not only highlight the evolution of lighthouse technology but also underscore the ongoing efforts to preserve maritime heritage.

The intricate design and functionality of these lenses are a testament to the innovation and craftsmanship of the time. They played a crucial role in enhancing the safety and efficiency of coastal travel, ensuring that mariners could navigate treacherous waters with greater confidence.

Third-order lighthouse lenses, both fixed and flashing, are integral to the history and technology of maritime navigation. Their preservation at Cabrillo National Monument provides valuable insights into the advancements in lighthouse engineering and the critical role these beacons played in maritime safety.