Point No Point Light is an operational aid to

navigation Navigation is a field of study that focuses on the process of monitoring and controlling the motion, movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another.Bowditch, 2003:799. The field of navigation includes four general categories: land navig ...

on the northeastern tip of the

Kitsap Peninsula The Kitsap Peninsula () lies west of Seattle across Puget Sound, in Washington state in the Pacific Northwest. Hood Canal separates the peninsula from the Olympic Peninsula on its west side. The peninsula, a.k.a. "Kitsap", encompasses all of Kits ...

on the west side of

Puget Sound Puget Sound ( ; ) is a complex estuary, estuarine system of interconnected Marine habitat, marine waterways and basins located on the northwest coast of the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As a part of the Salish Sea, the sound ...

, at

Point No Point Point No Point () is an outcropping of land on the northeast point of the Kitsap Peninsula in Washington (U.S. state), Washington, the United States. It was the location of the signing of the Point No Point Treaty and is the site of the Point No ...

where

Admiralty Inlet Admiralty Inlet is a strait in the U.S. state of Washington connecting the eastern end of the Strait of Juan de Fuca to Puget Sound. It lies between Whidbey Island and the northeastern part of the Olympic Peninsula. Boundaries It is generall ...

joins Puget Sound, near the small community of Hansville,

Kitsap County Kitsap County is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Washington (state), Washington. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, its population was 275,611. Its county seat is Port Orchard, Washington, Port Orchard; its ...

, in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. Point No Point Light is considered the oldest lighthouse on Puget Sound and is listed 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 ...

History

Local authorities first proposed to locate the lighthouse further north on Foulweather Bluff. When the

location was agreed upon, the owners of the land were very reluctant to sell. The terms of the final sales agreement have been variously reported as for $1,000, for $1,000, and for $1,800. Construction of the lighthouse began in April 1879. The first light used was a

kerosene lamp A kerosene lamp (also known as a paraffin lamp in some countries) is a type of lighting device that uses kerosene as a fuel. Kerosene lamps have a wick or mantle as light source, protected by a glass chimney or globe; lamps may be used on a t ...

. As 1879 drew to a close, the lens and glass for the lantern had not arrived, so the first

lighthouse keeper A lighthouse keeper or lightkeeper is a person responsible for tending and caring for a lighthouse, particularly the light and lens in the days when oil lamps and clockwork mechanisms were used. Lighthouse keepers were sometimes referred to as ...

, J.S. Maggs, a

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

dentist A dentist, also known as a dental doctor, dental physician, dental surgeon, is a health care professional who specializes in dentistry, the branch of medicine focused on the teeth, gums, and mouth. The dentist's supporting team aids in provi ...

, hung a canvas over the south window openings to break the wind and keep the kerosene lamp from blowing out. Upon completion of the light station in February 1880, the lantern room held a fifth-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 ...

. The original masonry structure was high. The present brick and stucco tower is square and situated between the office and fog signal building. A fog signal, formerly used at New Dungeness Lighthouse, was installed in April 1880. In 1900, the

fog bell A fog bell is a navigation mark used as an audible aid to navigation in seafaring, especially in fog and poor visibility. Floating navigation signs with bells are called bell buoys. On ships, the ship's bell is used for sound signals. Due to more s ...

was replaced by a

Daboll trumpet A Daboll trumpet is an air trumpet foghorn which was developed by an American, Celadon Leeds Daboll, of New London, Connecticut. It was basically a small coal-fired hot air engine, which compressed air in a cylinder on top of which was a reed h ...

. With no roads to the lighthouse for its first 40 years, supplies had to be brought in by boat. In 1898, the original lens was replaced with a fourth-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 ...

, which is still in place although it is no longer in use. Popular history holds that when lightning struck in 1931, it caused the lens to crack. However, according to McClary, records indicate "the damage occurred when a faulty oil vaporizer tube allowed explosive vapors to build up in the light chamber." The tower was also damaged which required patching and replacing the copper tubing. In 1975, a

radar Radar is a system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), direction ( azimuth and elevation angles), and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It is a radiodetermination method used to detect and track ...

tower was built on the west side of the lighthouse. The tower is used for the

Vessel Traffic Service A vessel traffic service is a marine traffic monitoring system established by harbour or port authorities, similar to air traffic control for aircraft. The International Maritime Organization defines vessel traffic service as "a service implemente ...

(VTS). In 1977, the lighthouse became fully automated and only required one keeper to be assigned to the station. 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 ...

replaced the light in 2006 with a low-maintenance, post-mounted, rotating beacon.

Park and headquarters

In 1997, the last Coast Guard personnel left Point No Point and it stood empty until it was leased to Kitsap County Parks and Recreation. The county purchased adjoining parcels and created Point No Point Lighthouse and Park. In 2012, the

Department of the Interior The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is an executive department of the U.S. federal government responsible for the management and conservation of most federal lands and natural resources. It also administers programs relatin ...

announced the transfer of ownership of the lighthouse to Kitsap County. Since 2008, the station's keeper's quarters has been the national headquarters of the United States Lighthouse Society, a nonprofit preservation and educational organization.

References

External links

*
Point No Point Lighthouse & Park
Kitsap County Parks & Recreation
Friends of Point No Point Lighthouse
{{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1880 Transportation buildings and structures in Kitsap County, Washington Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Washington (state) Parks in Kitsap County, Washington National Register of Historic Places in Kitsap County, Washington 1880 establishments in Washington Territory

History

Park and headquarters

References

More reading

External links