Smith Island Light
Lighthouse in Washington, United States
Lighthouse
Fl W 10s 
Smith Island Light Station
Lighthouse
 | |
| Location | near Hansville, Washington |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°55′09″N 122°34′11″W / 47.91921°N 122.56984°W / 47.91921; -122.56984 |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1964, by Jim Gibbs |
| Height | 30 feet (9.1 m) |
| Shape | Octagonal cylindrical wooden tower |
| Light | |
| Characteristic | Continuous red light |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Smith Island Lighthouse.
The Smith Island Light was a lighthouse on Smith Island, Island County, Washington.
History
The Smith Island Light was constructed in 1858 using the classic New England design of a 1-1/2 story keeper's house with a light tower centered on the roof.[3] Electric power was provided by a bank of 18 lead-acid truck batteries connected in series and recharged by gasoline-powered generators.[4] The structure stood about 200 feet (61 m) from the island's western edge. The bluff began to erode, and when the bluff reached the front door in the 1950s, the lighthouse was abandoned.
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1978.[2] The broken lighthouse could be seen clinging precariously to the bluff from the 1980s until the spring of 1998, when the last remains toppled into the sea.[5]
The lighthouse was replaced with an automated navigational light emanating on a 97-foot (30 m) focal plane from a 50-foot (15 m) skeletal tower constructed in 1957.[3] The tower also houses a weather station operated by the United States National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.[6]
Before erosion toppled it into the sea, maritime author Jim Gibbs obtained permission from the Coast Guard to retrieve the lantern room. The lantern room is now part of the privately owned Skunk Bay Memorial Lighthouse located on northern tip of the Kitsap Peninsula near Hansville.[7]
References
- ^ "Smith Island Lighthouse". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ a b Rowlett, Russ (October 19, 2014). "Lighthouses of the United States: Washington". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ "Smith Island". Doanld Skiff. January 29, 2008. Archived from the original on May 9, 2015. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ Nelson, Sharlene (January 1999). "And, now there are three . . . The Demise of the Smith Island Light". Lighthouse Digest. Retrieved February 23, 2014.
- ^ "Smith Island, WA weather station". National Data Buoy Center, NOAA. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
- ^ "Skunk Bay, WA". Lighthousefriends. Retrieved May 21, 2015.
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Lighthouses of Washington
- Admiralty Head Light
- Alki Point Light
- Browns Point Light
- Burrows Island Light
- Cape Disappointment Light
- Cape Flattery Light
- Cattle Point Light
- Clover Island Light
- Destruction Island Light
- Dofflemyer Point Light
- Ediz Hook Light
- Grays Harbor Light
- Lime Kiln Light
- Marrowstone Point Light
- Mukilteo Light
- New Dungeness Light
- North Head Light
- Patos Island Light
- Point No Point Light
- Point Roberts Light
- Point Robinson Light
- Point Wilson Light
- Semiahmoo Harbor Light
- Slip Point Light
- Smith Island Light
- Turn Point Light
- West Point Light
- Willapa Bay Light
National Register of Historic Places listings in Washington (state) | ||
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| Lists by county |
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| Authority control databases: Geographic |
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