| History |
Photo
Gallery |
Video Gallery |
Management |
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The first Point Arena Lighthouse was constructed in 1870. Its brick and mortar tower featured ornate iron balcony supports and a large Keeper residence with enough space to house several families. In April of 1906, a devastating earthquake struck the tower. Damage from the trembler occurred all along the San Andreas Fault, which runs very close to Point Arena. In the town itself, many buildings were reduced to rubble, and at the Light Station, the Keeper's residence and Lighthouse were damaged so severely that they were rendered condemned, and ultimately torn down. The United States Lighthouse Service contracted with a San Francisco based company to build a new lighthouse here to withstand any future earthquakes. The company built factory smokestacks, which accounts for the final design for the new Point Arena Lighthouse. The new design featured steel reinforcement rods encased in concrete, and was the first lighthouse to be built in this manner. The new Lighthouse began operation in 1908, nearly 18 months after the quake. It stands 115 feet tall, and features a 1st Order Fresnel Lens, over six feet in diameter and weighing more than six tons. The lens is made up of 666 hand-ground glass prisms all focused toward three sets of double bulls eyes. It is these bulls eyes that gave the Point Arena Lighthouse its unique "light signature" of two flashes every six seconds. This incredible optic, that holds an appraised value of over $3.5 million, is set in solid brass framework, built in France. Prior to the introduction of electricity, the lens was rotated by a clockwork mechanism. The Keepers, or "wickies" as they were called, had to hand crank a 160 pound weight up the center shaft of the lighthouse every 75 minutes to keep the lens turning. Light was produced by a "Funks" hydraulic oil lamp, that needed to be refueled every four hours, and whose wicks would have to be trimmed regularly. Later, two 1,000 watt electric lamps were installed to replace the oil lamp, and a 1/8 horsepower electric motor was installed to replace the clockworks. In 1978, the fog signal at the station was silenced, and a bell buoy was placed nearby. June of 1977 brought the installation of an automated aircraft-type beacon on the balcony tower, and the historic 1st Order Fresnel Lens was discontinued. The 400 pound aircraft beacon has recently been replaced by a 40 pound modern rotating light that incorporates the Fresnel principles for the efficient projection of light. There is a battery powered emergency system installed as a back-up in the event of a power failure. In addition, a radio beacon, with a 50 mile signal that originates from the station, also assists mariners. The original oil lamp was visible for approximately 18 miles, the 1st Order Fresnel Lens for 20 miles and the current modern rotating light can be seen for 16 miles. In 1984, a nonprofit organization called the Point Arena Lighthouse Keepers acquired the light station as part of a 25 year land lease from the Coast Guard and the Department of Transportation. In November of 2000, the nonprofit group became the official owners of the property due to their diligent historic preservation and educational efforts. Daily visitation, gift store sales, memberships and the rental of the historic Keeper's homes on the property as vacation houses, all provide desperately needed income for ongoing preservation, facility upgrades and educational endeavors. For more information on lighthouses around the world, contact The United States Lighthouse Society, located in San Francisco, California. |
Original Point
Arena Lighthouse and keeper's quarters, as they appeared in 1870,
from the west.
Original Point
Arena Lighthouse and keeper's quarters, as they appeared in 1870,
from the east.
Light Station as it appeared just before the devistating
1906 earthquake.
Demolition of
the original tower after the 1906 earthquake. The Fog Signal Building,
at center, survived the shake and the lantern housing, at left,
was placed on a temporary platform during reconstruction, being
used continuously as a navigational aid.
Newly completed
Point Arena Light Station tower, November 30th, 1907.
Point Arena Light
Station, as it appeared in 1910. Note the two story keeper
homes at right that were upgraded by U.S. Coast Guard in the 1950's.
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Point Arena Lighthouse and Museum |
Museum and "punchbowl" behind |
Lighthouse tower |
The four keepers houses |
The sea on either side of the keeper houses |
The lighthouse lantern in a stormy sky |
A panoramic view of the Point Arena Lighthouse |
Looking north to the Manchester Beach dunes |
The lens room from below |
The inside of the 2-ton crystal & brass First Order Fresnel lens |
Sunset over the lighthouse |
A beautiful shot of the tower |
| Video Gallery |
| Click on image
to play video - requires
Quicktime player |
The Point Arena Lighthouse and Museum |
Birds nesting on rocks |
The Gazebo |
The north shore |
Coast Gaurd helicopter lifts off after refueling |
Native seals napping in the surf |
Some of the wildflowers that cover the hill |
Inside the museum and gift store |
The view from the top - You can climb here too |
Sunset off the west shore |
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Rae Lynne Radtkey NO STRANGER TO THE COAST! My love for the coast started at an early age and has shaped my entire life. This is my 36th year of full-time living on the Sonoma, Mendocino coast. I have lived as far north as Manchester (while my son attended Point Arena High School) and as far south as Kruse Ranch (now part of Salt Point State Park). I spent the majority of these years living on The Sea Ranch and for the past fifteen years have made my home in Annapolis. I own an old homestead where I enjoy sunshine and gardening. Having the opportunity to purchase my Annapolis property was a long-time dream of mine and living at the Point Arena Lighthouse will fulfill another life-long dream. My first memory of the Point Arena Lighthouse goes way back to the summer of 1953. I was just four years old and from the deck of my parents' new summer home near Elk I remember seeing what appeared to be a light in the middle of the ocean. The beacon in the night was always a familiar sight when we arrived on Friday night for our weekend on the coast. Life on the coast has been good to me - Upon arriving on the coast in 1970, I went to work for Oceanic Properties Inc, developers of The Sea Ranch. I worked for the developer for five years in many different capacities: Public Relations and Special Events Coordinator. (I organized the Haybale concerts in the Sea Ranch Barn, Kite Flying contests on Black Point, Easter Egg Hunts, Turk Murphy Dixieland Jazz concerts at the Sea Ranch Lodge and I worked endless hours on the Restore Fort Ross Fundraising Committee - RFRF - I bet this brings back memories to oldtimers on the coast), and I worked as Administrative Assistant for the Project Manager. The Project Manager encouraged me to go into real estate. I took her advice and went back to school and got my Real Estate Brokers license. In 1979, I became the Corporate Broker and one of the owners of Rams Head Realty & Rentals, Inc and so began a long, successful career in real estate. In 1992, following the death of my parents, I took a look at my life and asked myself what they would have wanted most for me. The obvious answer was to take time out to raise my son and enjoy time with him. I scaled down my real estate career and became a full-time mom. A decision I will never regret. With my son settled in his career (a firefighter), I decided it was time to look for a new project for myself (one can only do so much gardening and play so much Bridge - two of my favorite pastimes). The Executive Director position for PALKI appeared to be a perfect fit for me and I am looking forward to life at the Lighthouse and working with the Board of Directors in making dreams a reality.
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P.O. Box 11, 45500 Lighthouse Road, Point Arena, CA 95468 1-877-725-4448 or 707-882-2777 fax: 707-882-2111 Lighthouse Fund Email us at palight@mcn.org www.PointArenaLighthouse.com Webmaster: Martha Bouquin mbouquin@mcn.org |
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Lighthouse gates are
open daily with Tours of the Tower & Museum. Take a bit of the lighthouse with you by visiting our Official Lighthouse Gift Shop |
Marlene
Hurst (Administrative Assistant) is the second half of this team. Originally from
Ukiah, Marlene has brought to the organization her bookkeeping and
accounting experience. In addition, she excels in her ability to manage
the Lighthouse staff and gift store. These two staff members compliment each
others talents and together form a strong administrative base for the
Lighthouse. This administrative base will enable the Lighthouse Board
of Directors to achieve short and long term goals in their continuing
effort to preserve the historic Point Arena Lighthouse Station for future
generations and increase public involvement.
