Stephen Pleasonton: The Rest of His Story
In 1820, Stephen Pleasonton, the fifth auditor of the Treasury Department, was assigned responsibility for the management of the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment. In this role he became known as general superintendent of lights. Before coming to the Treasury Department, he served as a clerk in the State Department. As the treasury's fifth auditor, his responsibilities included settling the accounts of the State Department, the Post Office Department, and of Indian Affairs.
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The History of the Administration of the U.S.L.H.S. (Part 1)
The first colonial American aid to navigation, of which we have firm evidence, was the beacon erected at Nantasket (now Hull) Massachusetts in 1673. The beacon was a small stone tower erected at Point Allerton, a promontory guarding the south approach to Boston Harbor. The citizens of that community provided funds to furnish "fier-bales of pitch and ocum" in an iron basket surrounding the small beacon.