Grays Harbor Lighthouse
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The Grays Harbor Lighthouse (Westport Light) is a
lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...
located on Point Chehalis on the southern side of the entrance to
Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuarine bay located north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state, in the United States. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the last ice age, when sea levels flooded the ...
, Westport,
Grays Harbor County, Washington Grays Harbor County is a county in the U.S. state of Washington. As of the 2020 census, the population was 75,636. Its county seat is Montesano, and its largest city is Aberdeen. Grays Harbor County is included in the Aberdeen Micropolitan ...
, in the
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
.


History

The Grays Harbor Lighthouse is the tallest lighthouse in Washington and the third tallest on the West Coast. It marks the entrance to
Grays Harbor Grays Harbor is an estuarine bay located north of the mouth of the Columbia River, on the southwest Pacific coast of Washington state, in the United States. It is a ria, which formed at the end of the last ice age, when sea levels flooded the ...
, which is one of Washington's few outer-coast harbors, and was first lit in 1898. Construction began in 1897, using plans drawn up by architect Carl Leick, at a site facing the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five Borders of the oceans, oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean, or, depending on the definition, to Antarctica in the south, and is ...
about from water's edge. Massive amounts of accretion, due in large part to the jetty system at the entrance to Grays Harbor, have since built up, and the lighthouse now stands approximately from high tide. The base of the lighthouse rests on a foundation of sandstone. The lighthouse walls, which are four feet thick at the base, are made of brick with a coating of cement on the exterior. Originally windows lit the interior of the tower, but to cut down on maintenance they were cemented over when electricity was added to the station. One hundred thirty-five (135) metal stairs bolted to the wall lead to the lantern room. The light's initial signature was a five-second white flash, darkness, then a five-second red flash. After electricity reached the lighthouse, the signature became white flashes followed by 15 seconds of darkness, then red flashes followed by 15 seconds of darkness. In August 1992, the original third order
Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...
was turned off. A smaller light (FA-251), manufactured in
New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...
, was mounted to the balcony. The new light operates on a 35 watt bulb and can be seen with the white sector, 17 on the red sector. The original lens still occupies the lantern room. In late 1960s, the
Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a Maritime Security Regimes, maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with cust ...
automated the light. In 1977, the lighthouse achieved listing on the
National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...
. In 2004, under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, ownership was transferred to the Westport-South Beach Historical Society, which conducts regular tours. The light station is adjacent to Westport Light State Park.


References


External links

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Westport Maritime Museum
Westport-South Beach Historical Society {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1898 Lighthouses in Washington (state) Transportation buildings and structures in Grays Harbor County, Washington Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) National Register of Historic Places in Grays Harbor County, Washington