Welcome

The United States Lighthouse Society is a non-profit historical and educational organization incorporated to educate, inform, and entertain those who are interested in lighthouses, past and present.

The United States Lighthouse Society has been the proud recipient of numerous awards including the Governor's Historic Preservation Award, the U.S. Department of the Transportation Award for Outstanding Public Service and Historic Preservation, the Senate Rules Committee Commendation, and the American Lighthouse Coordinating Committee's prestigious Founders Award. Additionally, with the help of our constituents, the United States Lighthouse Society has donated funds to important lighthouse restoration projects nationwide, and has successfully restored and opened to the public the historic Lightship WLV 605 (Relief). The combined cash total of unrestricted donations now approaches $750,000.00, an amount which emphasizes this organization's dedication to the preservation of our Nation's maritime heritage.

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What's New

• Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse Tours
  • THOMAS POINT SHOAL LIGHTHOUSE TOURS The second year of public tours of the icon of the Chesapeake Bay starts on the weekend of May 17th and 18th
• USLHS Headquarters Relocates to Light Station
  • The Society's headquarters has the privilege of being located at an actual light station in the beautiful Puget Sound area. More specifically, the Point No Point Light Station just north of Seattle.
• United States Historical Light List Display
  • The U.S. Lighthouse Society's library of historic light lists has begun a transformation into a digital, interactive resource. You can search through the records using either graphical or list format, see changes in navigational aids along coastlines throughout the years and access historical information for either an entire state or a particular lighthouse. Click the link below to begin your journey.
• 2007 Photo Contest Winners
  • See the wonderful photos that were choosen as the winners of our 2007 photo contest.
• National Archives Database
  • This unique reference tool allows you to search out lighthouse data currently on record at the National Archives in Washington D.C. Each lighthouse listing includes numerous sections featuring types of illuminating apparatus, dates of deeds, types of fog signals used and details about the equipment itself, sizes of lantern rooms and descriptions of the keeper's dwellings. We invite you to visit the National Archives here and now . . .
• List of U.S. Classical Fresnel Lenses
  • The United States Lighthouse Society is very proud to give a new home to this amazing resource. Through the hard work of many individuals and the coorporation of several organizations, this most current version of the database is now available, simply click the link below.
• U.S. Lighthouse Society Clothing
  • We are proud to anounce the arrival of our new line of custom embroidered apparel including T-Shirts, Sweatshirts, Polo Shirts and Caps. We are also proud to present lighthouse "collage" apparel featuring lighthouses from around the world.

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Tours / Expeditions

Another way we educate about the importance of preserving America's lighthouses is by conducting organized expeditions of lighthouses here and abroad. Exciting domestic trips in 2007 included lighthouses of Maine, Oregon, & Michigan's Gold Coast to name a few. International 2007 tours included lighthouses of Scotland (Shetland & Orkney Isles), Nova Scotia, and the first lighthouse tour ever to Japan.

2008 presents more exciting lighthouse journeys to the Argentina / Uruguay, British Columbia, Wales and Norway. Some interesting 2008 domestic expeditions include the lighthouses of Maine, New Jersey, The Great Lakes / Lake Superior and the Lighthouses of Northern California. These unique trips are a great way to have fun and meet others with similar interests, all the while helping to preserve America's lighthouses as the proceeds raised from these tours are directed in part toward important American lighthouse projects and the dissemination of educational information.

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Lighthouse Challenges

Long Island Lighthouse Challenge
May 17 & 18, 2008
The Long Island Lighthouse Challenge cooperative is an effort of Long Island's historic lighthouse preservation and education groups

Martha’s Vineyard Lighthouse Challenge
June 13 through June 15, 2008
The Martha's Vineyard Chamber of Commerce will be hosting their inaugural Lighthouse Challenge. The Challenge will feature all five of the island’s lighthouses along with the circa 1856 Fresnel lens, housed at the Martha’s Vineyard Museum.

Lights Across the Border Lighthouse Challenge
August 9, 2008
The Lights Across the Border Lighthouse Challenge is being presented by the Friends of Little River Lighthouse a Chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation

Maryland Lighthouse Challenge - "Road to the Lighthouse!"
September 20 & 21, 2008
Join the Chesapeake Chapter of the USLHS and the lighthouse organizations of Maryland for the 6th Annual Maryland Lighthouse Challenge.

New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge
October 18 & 19, 2008
The New Jersey Lighthouse Challenge is a not-for-profit event presented by The New Jersey Lighthouse Society, Inc.