Lighthouses, Lightships, Tenders & Other Aids to Navigation Subjects
U.S. Lighthouse Service History:
U.S. Lighthouse Service Chronology, 1716-1939
History of the U. S. Lighthouse Service [Power Point]
1789: A history of the Lighthouse Act of 1789, written by the U.S. Senate's Historical Office.
1881: Instructions to Light-Keepers, July, 1881 By Authority of the Light-House Board (Washington: GPO, 1881).
1915: The United States Lighthouse Service (An official publication of the U.S. Commerce Department that included general information, organization, duties, etc. of the U.S. Lighthouse Service). Provided courtesy of Google Books.
Lighthouses
& Light Stations:
Light Stations: Information & Historic Photography
19th Century West Coast Lighthouse Gallery: a series of photographs dating from 1871 of some of the West Coast's most famous lighthouses taken by the noted English photographer Eadweard Muybridge.
Lighthouse Plans, Blueprints & Drawings
Lighthouse Subject Files Held by the Historian's Office
Light Station Files Held by the Historian's Office (Alphabetical Listing): pdf
Light Station Files Held by the Historian's Office (Listed by State): pdf
Fresnel Lenses Still in Operation
"Care of [Lighthouse] Lights and Their Appurtenances," Chapter III, excerpted from Instructions to Light-Keepers and Masters of Light-House Vessels 1902 Instructions to Lighthouse Keepers, U.S. Lighthouse Establishment: by Authority of the Light-House Board (Washington: GPO, 1902)
Lighthouse Evolution & Typology
"Pioneering the use of Alternative Energy Sources through Appropriate Technology by the United States Coast Guard" by MSSE4 Richard Williams.
Lighthouses, Lightships, & Aids to Navigation Bibliography
U.S. Lighthouse Service Uniforms
"Woman's Work: Female Lighthouse Keepers in the Early Republic, 1820-1859"; a Master of Arts' Thesis by Virginia Neal Thomas.
Lighthouses & Other Aids to Navigation in Alaskan History (pdf file)
Historically Famous Lighthouses, CG-232 (pdf)
Remaining Lighthouses: Provided by the U.S. Lighthouse Society
Aids to Navigation During World War II: The Official U.S. Coast Guard History (Volume XV Aids to Navigation, 1949)
Teachers: a Guide to Teaching About Lighthouses, Kindergarten Through the Fourth Grade (pdf)
Teachers: A Gallery of Lighthouse Images (pdf)
Researching Lighthouses & Keepers?
So you'd like to buy a lighthouse or become a lighthouse keeper?
Personal photos with captions covering the professional career of T. M. McKevlin, who served in the Navy during World War I and then joined the U.S. Lighthouse Service as an Engineer on board a Lighthouse Tender out of Charleston, South Carolina after the war. He continued in service with the Coast Guard after the USLHS was absorbed in 1939.
Official U.S. Lighthouse Service Documents & Publications:
1816: Captain Winslow
Lewis's 1816 report of his visit to every lighthouse in the country. He
reported to the Commissioner of Revenue on the keepers' annual salary and
noted if such salary was appropriate depending upon the location of the
light. (Copy provided by Ms. Candace Clifford.)
1881: Instructions to Light-Keepers, July, 1881 By Authority of the Light-House Board (Washington: GPO, 1881).
1884: List of the Persons Who Have Served as Members of the Light-House Board and as Inspectors and Engineers of the Several Light-House Districts. (Appendix No. 2, 1884 Annual Report of the Light-House Board.)1893: U.S. Lighthouse Service Uniform Regulations, 1893
1904: U.S. Lighthouse Service Discharge Certificate, Lighthouse-Board Form 77, dated 1904
1914: U.S. Lighthouse Service Tender Painting Regulations (only an excerpt of the relevant sections of the 1914 U.S. Lighthouse Service Regulations regarding the painting of tenders and lightships)
1915: The United States Lighthouse Service (an official publication that contains general information, organization, duties, etc.). Provided courtesy of Google Books.
1920: U. S. Lighthouse Service Uniform Regulations, 1920
1927: U.S. Lighthouse Service Tender Painting Regulations (only excerpt of relevant sections of the 1927 U.S. Lighthouse Service Regulations regarding the painting of tenders and lightships)
1939: Index to Lighthouse Service Bulletin, Volumes I-V (1912-1939)
Lightships:
Lightship Index
Five lightship sailors describe what life was like on the Chesapeake Lightship during the 1930's.
Long Range Aids to Navigation (LORAN):
LORAN IndexBuoys & Tenders:
A History of Buoys
& Tenders;
by Amy K. Marshall; based on her Master's Thesis (next entry)
(pdf format)
"Frequently Close to the Point of Peril: A History of Buoys and Tenders in U.S. Coastal Waters, 1789-1939." A Master's Thesis by Amy K. Marshall (pdf).
U.S. Coast Guard 133-Foot Buoy Tenders": The illustrated HAER Report for the National Park Service on the White-class buoy tenders; the report contains a detailed history of this class of tender, including historic photographs as well as a complete set of plans. (pdf file).
"U.S. Coast Guard 180-Foot Buoy Tenders": The HAER Report for the National Park Service on the 180-foot buoy tenders; the report contains a detailed history of this class of tender, including historic photographs as well as a complete set of plans. (pdf file)
"U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Fir (WLM-212): A Lighthouse Buoy Tender for the Pacific Northwest." The illustrated National Park Service HAER Report on this historic Coast Guard tender. (pdf file)
Sea Going & Coastal Buoy Tenders, A Historic Photo Gallery
Inland, River & Construction Tenders, A History Photo Gallery
Adobe Acrobat Reader (PDF)
PowerPoint