Welcome to "United States Historical Light List Display"
You will be able to view various maps within the United States that contain lighthouses and see how the characteristics of those lighthouses have changed throughout the years; this information will also be presented in light list table formats. Additionally, you will be able to view how optic and structural attributes of those lighthouses have changed throughout the years in a light list table format. Furthermore, you will be able to view actual current satellite images and street maps which will indicate past or present positions for each lighthouse.
You can view maps of various areas in the United States in one of two ways. First, you can access the USA Map link, contained in the navigation bars, to access a map that defines these various areas. For example, you may view a map of the Great Lakes, any of the individual Great Lakes, Oregon, southern Florida, northern Maine, etc. Simply by clicking within the defined area on the United States map, a new page is displayed with the appropriate area map. Second, you can access the Map Lists link, also contained in the navigation bars, to select the desired area name from a text list. Both the USA map and area text list allow you to access the same exact area maps.
While an area may be named an individual state such as 'Washington' or 'Oregon' or a group of states such as 'Massachusetts/Rhode Island', lighthouses from bordering states may still appear on the area map. For example, if the Oregon area map is displayed, a few lighthouses in southern Washington and a few lighthouses in northern California may be represented on the map.
The area maps graphically represent the light distance aspect of the lighthouse characteristics. The graphical representations for the characteristics are arcs. For example, if a lighthouse has a fixed white light that illuminates in all directions, a white circle represents the characteristic. As another example, if a lighthouse has a flashing light with white and red sectors where the white light could be seen from 100° through 180°, and the red sector could be seen from 180° through 200°, then two arcs represent the characteristic, one for the white sector and one for the red sector assuming the light distances are different.
The exact degrees for sectors and obstructions may not be known (particularly for light lists before 1900). For example, a light may have been said to be "obstructed westward of the shore"; in this case, a full circle will represent the characteristic since the degrees of the obstruction cannot be accurately determined. However, if the sector degrees for a light are not known, an educated guess will be used when mocking the characteristic arcs; for example, if the sector degrees for a subsequent year are known, the characteristic arcs will be displayed using those sector degrees.
While in almost all of the cases the light distances are specified in the light lists, there will be instances where this is not so. In this case a default light distance of six nautical miles will be assumed when showing the characteristic on an area map.
Up through the year 1972, the radius of the arc represents the geographical range of the light. Typically, there is no difference (i.e., distinction) in the geographical range that different light colors can be seen from a particular lighthouse and, thus, the radii of the arcs on the area maps will be the same. After the year 1972, at which time the U.S. Coast Guard stopped supplying the geographical range in their light lists, the radius of this arc represents the nominal range of the light. In most cases, the nominal range of different color lights from a particular lighthouse will be different and, thus, the radii of the arcs on the area maps will be different.
Initially when a map is accessed, the characteristics for the active lighthouses (i.e., the current year) are displayed. Year navigation buttons are shown above the map which allow you to select a time period. Thus, you will be able to see how historically the lighthouses have been developed in an area, and how the characteristics of these lighthouses has changed over time. Typically there is a ten-year gap between time periods, but additional years may be shown that may better represent the development of lighthouses in an area. The characterstics for the current year can be accessed by selecting the "Current Year" navigation button. The text within these navigation buttons are white to denote when they can be accessed to view the characteristics for a different year for the same area. The text within a navigation button is grey to denote the year that is currently displayed.
NOTE: The current year implies the year 2004 (the year of the last researched light lists); thus, some of the lighthouses such as the New Canal Light in Louisiana that were destroyed in Hurricane Katrina may still appear as 'current' lighthouses throughout these web pages. The current year will be updated in the future as those light lists are researched.
While viewing a map, you can move the cursor around and position it over a small black rectangle that denotes the position of the lighthouse on the map and, thus, is in the center of the characteristic arc. When the cursor is positioned over a rectangle, the lighthouse name and its characteristic will popup. If you click one of these rectangles, a new Lighthouse Light List and Google™ Map page will be displayed that will show information extracted from the light lists as well as a Google™ Map that shows the location of the lighthouse.
If a lighthouse has a modern replacement, its characteristic will still be represented on the area maps. Instead of a small black rectangle denoting the position of the lighthouse on the map, a dark purple rectangle will be used to represent the modern characteristic. Modern lights that did not have at one time a more classical structure will not be represented on any of these web pages. There may also be modern replacement lights that are not represented on these web pages for those states that have not been researched yet; as the research of future light lists is completed, more modern replacements should appear on these web pages.
There are a few area maps that border Canada (Washington, Seattle, northern Maine, and the Great Lakes). For these maps, an additional navigation button called "Current Year With Canada" is displayed which will allow you to see both the United States and Canadian lighthouse characteristics contained within the map. However, only current year information, not historical, is available for Canadian lighthouses. If you click one of the small black rectangles in a Canadian province, a new page similar to a U.S. lighthouse will be displayed. Although a Google™ Map will be displayed, only the current characteristic of the lighthouse will be shown.
Like Canadian province lighthouses, only current year light list characteristic information is available for the U.S. commonwealths (Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico). Thus, if you click one of the small black rectangles on one of these area maps, a new Lighthouse Light List and Google™ Map page just like a Canadian province will be displayed.
In a few circumstances, the small rectangles that denote the positions of the lighthouses on the map may be right on top of each other. In these cases, the 'underneath' lighthouse(s) will not be accessible from the map. This may be more noticable with range lights or when the scale of the displayed map is large.
By selecting the Light Lists link on the navigation bar, you can overview the researched light lists and access the information presented in these light lists in tabular form. This page is grouped into three sections: 1) accessible light lists (state historical light list information and Canadian province and U.S. commonwealth current light list information), 2) researched light lists, and 3) missing light lists.
The Accessible Light Lists section allows you to access historical light list information for a particular U.S. state or current light list information for a particular Canadian province or United States commonwealth. This section is divided into two subsections. The first subsection allows you to access a list of the states in the United States where historical light list information can be displayed in a table format.
The second subsection contains a list of the Canadian provinces and the United States commonwealths where current textual light list information can be displayed in tabular form. By clicking the desired state, province, or commonwealth, a new page will be displayed that will show a table containing a row for each lighthouse's unique characteristic. For Canadian provinces, United States commonwealths, or U.S. states that have not been researched yet, the light list will only display one row for each currently active lighthouse. For each state in the United States that has been researched, the light list will display a row for each modification of a lighthouse characteristic where the change is either due to its characteristic type, light distance, flash and/or eclipse durations, sectors, obstructions, published light list name, or reference number changing. Each row contains up to four columns: 1) lighthouse name, 2) year(s) in which the modification was found in a published light list (only applicable for researched lighthouses), 3) characteristic, and 4) reference number of the lighthouse in the published light list where the modification was found. By clicking on a lighthouse name, a new Lighthouse Light List and Google™ Map Page will be displayed.
Since it will be an ongoing process to locate hard-to-find light lists, there will be gaps in the years of the light lists which hopefully can be closed in the future. However, the years in which the light lists have not been researched yet will be appropriately identified below the displayed table.
If a lighthouse has a modern replacement, its characteristic will still be displayed in the light lists presented in tabular form. However, the information for all modern characteristics will be shown in italics.
The Researched Light Lists section allows you to access the light list information that was extracted from a particular light list. For each light list that was researched, this subsection shows the year it was published, the group(s) responsible for creating it, and its name in a table format. By clicking the desired light list name, a new page will be displayed that will show a table containing a row for each lighthouse's characteristic that was extracted from the light list. Each row contains four columns: 1) reference number of the lighthouse, 2) lighthouse name, 3) state's abbreviation where the lighthouse is/was located, and 4) characteristic. By clicking on a lighthouse name, a new Lighthouse Light List and Google™ Map Page will be displayed.
The Missing Light Lists section shows you the states that have been researched so far, and the years of the light lists that have not been researched yet for each of those states in a table format. It is our desire to show all of the lighthouse characteristics for all U.S. states starting with the Lighthouse Board era. Since they gained authority of the U.S. lighthouse system in October of 1852, we would like to research the light lists starting in 1853 through the present with two exceptions. First, since the Lighthouse Board did not take control over the Hawaiian lighthouses until 1904, the starting research year for Hawaii will be 1904. Second, since the Lighthouse Board did not take control over the Alaskan lighthouses until 1867, the starting research year for Alaska will be 1867. The USLHS library at the Point No Point Lighthouse in Washington has many light lists, but its library is by no means complete. We would appreciate any information on where the 'missing' light lists may be and how the USLHS may gain access to them for research purposes.
It is of note in some cases that there may be entries in the published light list for a particular lighthouse where the characteristic may not have actually changed, or there could be missing entries when in fact the characteristic may have changed slightly! For example, suppose a lighthouse has a flashing characteristic and that in 1900 it was listed as having a 1 second flash. Suppose in 1905, the flash length may not have been listed, and then in in 1920, the flash length was listed as 0.5 seconds. Thus, in 1905, we are not sure if the flash length is 1 second anymore, but an entry in the displayed historical light list will be included to note this situation. Furthermore, we are not exactly sure what year the flash length may have changed to 0.5 seconds, or for that matter, if there were any other flash length changes between 1905 and 1920; that is, there could be some 'missing' entries. However, we cannot even assume that the base characteristic type did not change between 1900 and 1920. If the historical characteristics for a particular lighthouse are being displayed, then the missing gap year(s) will be shown in the table for all non-researched years.
By selecting the More Info link on the navigation bar, a detailed overview of lighthouse characteristics and how you can decipher them is displayed. In addition to explaining the basic parts of a characteristic, it also contains various terms and abbreviations and overviews lighthouse coordinates, the means for identifying the location of each lighthouse, and the possible optic that may have been used in the lighthouses.
This page shows the light list characteristic information for a selected lighthouse. For lighthouses whose historical light lists have been researched, this will also include optic and structure information about the lighthouse. The information that is displayed was extracted from various published light lists. Additionally, a Google™ Map that shows the location of the lighthouse (throughout its history for researched lighthouses) will be displayed underneath the tabular light list information. This page is accessible through the following methods:
Since different areas of the United States are being phased into this website as the research of the light lists continues, historical light list information will not be initially available for many lighthouses. Additionally, historical light lists for the Canadian provinces and U.S. commonwealths will not be researched. In these cases, the page will only contain the current lighthouse characteristic and a Google™ Map for its current location.
If a lighthouse has a modern replacement, its characteristic, optic, and structure information will still be displayed. However, the information for all modern characteristics will be shown in italics.
The first table on the page shows the characteristic information extracted from the public light lists. The table displays the following columns:
Year
Year(s) in which the modification was found in the published light lists (i.e., the characteristic and reference number were all the same and there were no missing light lists in the year range). This column is not applicable for non-researched U.S., Canadian, or U.S. Commonweath lighthouses since historical light list research is not being done for them.
Characteristic
A description of the characteristic comprised of its characteristic type, light distance, flash and/or eclipse durations, sectors, and obstructions.
Reference Number
Reference number of the lighthouse in the published light list where the information was found.
For non-researched lighthouses, the table will be comprised of only one row. For researched lighthouses, there is one row for each unique characteristic and reference number combination. Additional rows are added when either any aspect of the characteristic changes or the reference number changes in the following year. However, subsequent rows only display the changed information; the columns whose values did not change from one year to the next will be blank to indicate a "no change". However, since not all of the light lists may have been researched, there will be gaps in the years. In these cases, a new row will be displayed indicating which years the light lists were missing; the subsequent row will always display the values of all columns to make the table more readable even if the values did not change.
The second table on the page shows the optic and structure information extracted from the public light lists. This table is only applicable for U.S. states whose historical light lists have been researched. The table displays the following columns:
Year
Year(s) in which the modification was found in the published light lists (i.e., the optic, tower height, focal plane, structure description, and reference number were all the same and there were no missing light lists in the year range).
Optic
Type of lens and possible illuminant. In the light lists researched so far, the type of optic used was not always present. In fact, the light lists after 1951 do not specify the optic information. Additionally, many of the the earlier light lists did not specify the illuminant. See Optic Types to see how the the optics were specified in the light lists and displayed on the Lighthouse Light List and Google™ Map page.
Tower Height (in feet)
Either the height from the base of the structure to the center of the lantern (earlier light lists), or the height from the base of the structure to the top of the lantern (more modern light lists). Since light lists between 1915 and 1929 have not been researched yet, it is difficult to tell the exact year when the tower height meaning changed.
Focal Plane (in feet)
Height above mean high water. It is the distance from the water's surface to the optic's focal plane which is an imaginary line drawn straight out from the middle of the optic.
Structure Description
Description of the light tower and possibly any attached structure. While the light list (particularly the older lists) may have described other structures or buildings that may have been nearby, this information was not extracted from the light lists.
Reference Number
Reference number of the lighthouse in the published light list where the information was found.
For non-researched lighthouses, the table will be comprised of only one row. For researched lighthouses, there is one row for each unique optic, structure, and reference number combination. Additional rows are added when either the optic, tower height, focal plane, structure description, or reference number changes in the following year. However, subsequent rows only display the changed information; the columns whose values did not change from one year to the next will be blank to indicate a "no change". However, since not all of the light lists may have been researched, there will be gaps in the years. In these cases, a new row will be displayed indicating which years the light lists were missing; the subsequent row will always display the values of all columns to make the table more readable even if the values did not change.
A Google™ Map that shows the location of the lighthouse throughout its history will be displayed underneath the tabular light list information. For non-researched lighthouses, only the current location of the lighthouse will be represented on the map. Of course a Google™ Map shows current satellite and street maps, but you should still get an appreciation of where the lighthouse is/was located although its surrounding area could have changed over the years.
When a Google™ Map is displayed, a legend is shown below the map denoting each position of the lighthouse throughout its history (only applicable for researched lighthouses); this includes the year range for the lighthouse as well as a possible comment (assumptions, etc.). These are not necessarily the years that the lighthouse existed at the location, but rather the years extracted from the light lists when researched characteristics existed at those locations (i.e., the light was active).
The determined coordinates for lighthouses that have long been destroyed or have been replaced but were not rebuilt on the same position may be slightly inaccurate. This is due to the lack of precision of the coordinates as stated in the published light lists. However, in some cases a historical description of where the lighthouse was located or historical pictures may be helpful in determining previous lighthouse locations. In the cases where it could not be determined whether the lighthouse was rebuilt at the same location, it will be assumed that it was; while this may not always be the case, more than likely a replaced lighthouse was either built at the exact location as the previous lighthouse or very close to it. Note(s) in the legend below the Google™ Map will state whether the displayed lighthouse position may have been approximated or assumed.
The accuracy of the coordinates for most of the existing lighthouses in the United States should be excellent (usually within plus or minus 20 feet), especially those where the classic lighthouse is still standing. However, there are some lighthouses that have been replaced with modern lights where the exact coordinates are not known due to the precision of the coordinate information obtained from the light lists. Please Contact Us about any coordinates that may not be correct; please ensure that these coordinates are accurate to plus or minus 30 feet.