West Point Light
 | This article's lead section may be too long. (March 2014) |
 West Point Light | |
 | |
| Location | Seattle, Washington |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 47°39′43″N 122°26′09″W / 47.662°N 122.4357°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1881 |
| Foundation | Natural/Emplaced |
| Construction | Brick with stucco |
| Automated | 1985 |
| Height | 7 m (23 ft)  |
| Shape | square |
| Markings | white |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Fog signal | HORN: 1 every 10s, activated for 30 minutes by keying a mike 5 times on VHF channel 78A. |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1881 |
| Focal height | 27 feet (8.2 m) |
| Lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Range | White 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi), Red 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) |
| Characteristic | Alt WR 10s |
The West Point Light, also known as the Discovery Park Lighthouse, is a 23-foot-high lighthouse on Seattle, Washington's West Point which juts into Puget Sound and marks the northern extent of Elliott Bay. Opening on November 15, 1881, and featuring a fourth-order Fresnel lens, it was the first manned light station on Puget Sound and cost $25,000 to build ($790,000 in today dollars). It was illuminated with a kerosene lamp for its first 44 years, until it was attached to Seattle's electric grid in 1926.
The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1977. It became automated in 1985, the last station in Washington to do so.
Under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, in early 2003, Seattle's Department of Parks and Recreation applied to the United States Department of the Interior to take custody of the lighthouse from the United States Coast Guard and incorporate it into Discovery Park. Nineteen groups applied, including Nick Korstad, former owner of Virginia's Wolf Trap Lighthouse. The city was granted the property in October 2004 after many debates.
Included in the transfer of the property was the station's original 4th order Fresnel Lens. Upon signing over of the deed, the Coast Guard extinguished the original lighting system and replaced it with a modern Vega Rotating Beacon (VRB-25). Today the light retains its original characteristic of alternating red and white flash every five seconds.
Seattle Parks and Recreation has been looking for groups to help maintain the light due to their lack of funding, and in the future, hopes to have the station open to the public.
The lighthouse is featured in the Temple of the Dog music video "Hunger Strike".
References
- ^ Light List, Volume VI, Pacific Coast and Pacific Islands (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 136.
- ^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Washington". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
External links
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