Heceta Head Light is a lighthouse on the Oregon Coast 13 miles (21 km) north of Florence, and 13 miles (21 km) south of Yachats in the United States. It is located at Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint, a state park, midway up a 205-foot-tall (62 m) headland. Built in 1894, the 56-foot (17 m)-tall lighthouse shines a beam visible for 21 nautical miles (39 kilometres; 24 miles), making it the strongest light on the Oregon Coast.[2]
Heceta Head is named after the Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta, who explored the Pacific Northwest during the late 18th century. Before him, Heceta Head was a spot of frequent fishing and hunting by the American Indian tribes that populated the area. Heceta Head is part of the Siuslaw traditional lands, known in their language as ɫtúwɪs.[3] They hunted sea lions in the area and gathered sea bird eggs from the offshore rocks.[4] It was also the site of a legend — the Animal People built a great stone wall, which is now the cliffs, and tricked the Grizzly Bear brothers to their deaths there.[5][6] In 1888, white settlers moved into the area and claimed 164 acres (66 ha) of the surrounding land. That same year, the United States Lighthouse Service approved the building of the lighthouse, and the government bought 19 acres (7.7 ha), out of the 164 acres (66 ha) previously purchased, for the lighthouse structures.[7]
The lightkeepers' houses, circa 1900. The house on the left was razed in 1940.Aerial view, 1954
In 1892, a crew of 56 began construction on the site. Because of the site's seclusion, building materials were either shipped in, if the weather and tide permitted, or brought from Florence by wagon, the latter usually taking four to five hours. Stones were brought from the Clackamas River and bricks came from San Francisco. The lens system was made by Chance Brothers and used a Fresnel lens that would continue operating into the 21st century.
Completed in August 1893, the entire project cost $80,000[7] and consisted of:
The lighthouse
Houses for the head lightkeeper, the two assistant lightkeepers and their families
A barn
Two kerosene oil storage buildings — if one had caught fire, there was a secondary source
Heceta Head Light and Keepers Quarters was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 for its architectural and engineering significance.[8] The site originally included several other buildings — farm buildings and the single-family head lighthouse keeper's house, which was demolished in 1940, and was very similar in size and design to the remaining house. After electricity was installed in the lighthouse buildings, the position of head lighthouse keeper was no longer needed. The lighthouse keeper's house was sold for $10, and dismantled for its lumber, which was used to build Alpha Bit bookstore-cafe in Mapleton, which would still be there into the 21st century. The remaining keepers' house was a duplex that housed the first and second assistant lighthouse keepers and their families. After the light was automated in 1963, the last keepers moved away, and the remaining house was leased to Lane Community College in 1970 by the U.S. Forest Service, which had taken over management of the building. The porch of the Queen Anne-style house underwent restoration in 1981.[9]
Restoring the lighthouse, February 2012
The Heceta Head Lighthouse closed to the public in August 2011 for restoration and repairs. Under the supervision of OPRD preservation architect Sue Licht, a team of more than 100 subcontractors and craftsmen, the majority of whom were from Oregon, removed cement stucco that had sealed in moisture so that the lighthouse could air out in the damp coastal environment. They also replaced and restored the tower's historic metalwork and masonry, installed new windows, and repaired the lens' rotating mechanism. The interior and exterior of the lighthouse were repainted and the original wood floor of the workroom was uncovered and reconditioned. The lighthouse has been returned as much as possible to the way it would have looked in 1894. When restoration work was completed, it was reopened after being closed for two years, on June 8, 2013. That day the OPRD welcomed a group of nearly 100 supporters to Heceta Head State Scenic Viewpoint to celebrate the reopening.
^"Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint". Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
^Harrington, John Peabody. 1942. Alsea, Siuslaw, Coos, Southwestern Oregon Athapaskan Vocaularies, Linguistic Notes, Ethnographic and Historical Notes. JPH papers, Alaska/Northwest Coast, National Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington DC; 24:232
^Harrington, John Peabody. 1942. Alsea, Siuslaw, Coos, Southwestern Oregon Athapaskan Vocaularies, Linguistic Notes, Ethnographic and Historical Notes. JPH papers, Alaska/Northwest Coast, Nat'l Anthropological Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.; 23:318a
^Jacobs, Melville. 1932-34. Coos notes. University of Washington, Seattle WA
^Frachtenberg, Leo. 1913. Coos Texts. Columbia University, Contributions of Anthropology, No. 1, New York
^ ab(PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-03-21. Retrieved 2008-06-20.
^"Oregon listings for Lane County". National Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 2007-08-23.
^Style & Vernacular: A Guide to the Architecture of Lane County, Oregon. Western Imprints, The Press of the Oregon Historical Society. 1983. ISBN0-87595-085-X.
External linksedit
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heceta Head Light.
Heceta Head Lighthouse Keeper’s House (official website)
Heceta Head Light 2006-08-13 at the Wayback Machine entry in National Park Service inventory of historic lighthouses
Discover Oregon Lighthouses: Heceta 2006-06-01 at the Wayback Machine
"Ghostly Tale Draws Couple To Heceta Head", May 16, 2002 article from The Register-Guard
Heceta House: A History and Architectural Survey 2011-07-26 at the Wayback Machine from the U.S. Forest Service
heceta, head, light, lighthouse, oregon, coast, miles, north, florence, miles, south, yachats, united, states, located, house, state, scenic, viewpoint, state, park, midway, foot, tall, headland, built, 1894, foot, tall, lighthouse, shines, beam, visible, naut. Heceta Head Light is a lighthouse on the Oregon Coast 13 miles 21 km north of Florence and 13 miles 21 km south of Yachats in the United States It is located at Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint a state park midway up a 205 foot tall 62 m headland Built in 1894 the 56 foot 17 m tall lighthouse shines a beam visible for 21 nautical miles 39 kilometres 24 miles making it the strongest light on the Oregon Coast 2 Heceta Head LightView of Heceta Head Light showing Heceta HeadLocationHeceta Head Florence OregonCoordinates44 08 15 N 124 07 40 W 44 13737 N 124 127835 W 44 13737 124 127835TowerConstructed1892FoundationNatural emplacedConstructionBrick stuccoedAutomated1963Height56 feet 17 m ShapeConical attached to workroomHeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place LightFirst lit1894Focal height205 feet 62 m LensFirst order Fresnel lensRange21 nautical miles 39 km 24 mi CharacteristicFlash white 10 secondsHeceta Head Lighthouse and Keepers QuartersU S National Register of Historic PlacesNearest cityFlorence OregonArea3 5 acres 1 4 ha Built byUnited States Coast GuardNRHP reference No 78002296 1 Added to NRHPNovember 28 1978 The light is maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department OPRD while the assistant lighthouse keepers house operated as a bed and breakfast inn is maintained by the U S Forest Service The lighthouse is 2 miles 3 km from Sea Lion Caves Contents 1 History and construction 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory and construction edit nbsp Closeup view of the Heceta Head Light tower Heceta Head is named after the Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta who explored the Pacific Northwest during the late 18th century Before him Heceta Head was a spot of frequent fishing and hunting by the American Indian tribes that populated the area Heceta Head is part of the Siuslaw traditional lands known in their language as ɫtuwɪs 3 They hunted sea lions in the area and gathered sea bird eggs from the offshore rocks 4 It was also the site of a legend the Animal People built a great stone wall which is now the cliffs and tricked the Grizzly Bear brothers to their deaths there 5 6 In 1888 white settlers moved into the area and claimed 164 acres 66 ha of the surrounding land That same year the United States Lighthouse Service approved the building of the lighthouse and the government bought 19 acres 7 7 ha out of the 164 acres 66 ha previously purchased for the lighthouse structures 7 nbsp The lightkeepers houses circa 1900 The house on the left was razed in 1940 nbsp Aerial view 1954 In 1892 a crew of 56 began construction on the site Because of the site s seclusion building materials were either shipped in if the weather and tide permitted or brought from Florence by wagon the latter usually taking four to five hours Stones were brought from the Clackamas River and bricks came from San Francisco The lens system was made by Chance Brothers and used a Fresnel lens that would continue operating into the 21st century Completed in August 1893 the entire project cost 80 000 7 and consisted of The lighthouse Houses for the head lightkeeper the two assistant lightkeepers and their families A barn Two kerosene oil storage buildings if one had caught fire there was a secondary source Heceta Head Light and Keepers Quarters was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 for its architectural and engineering significance 8 The site originally included several other buildings farm buildings and the single family head lighthouse keeper s house which was demolished in 1940 and was very similar in size and design to the remaining house After electricity was installed in the lighthouse buildings the position of head lighthouse keeper was no longer needed The lighthouse keeper s house was sold for 10 and dismantled for its lumber which was used to build Alpha Bit bookstore cafe in Mapleton which would still be there into the 21st century The remaining keepers house was a duplex that housed the first and second assistant lighthouse keepers and their families After the light was automated in 1963 the last keepers moved away and the remaining house was leased to Lane Community College in 1970 by the U S Forest Service which had taken over management of the building The porch of the Queen Anne style house underwent restoration in 1981 9 nbsp Restoring the lighthouse February 2012 The Heceta Head Lighthouse closed to the public in August 2011 for restoration and repairs Under the supervision of OPRD preservation architect Sue Licht a team of more than 100 subcontractors and craftsmen the majority of whom were from Oregon removed cement stucco that had sealed in moisture so that the lighthouse could air out in the damp coastal environment They also replaced and restored the tower s historic metalwork and masonry installed new windows and repaired the lens rotating mechanism The interior and exterior of the lighthouse were repainted and the original wood floor of the workroom was uncovered and reconditioned The lighthouse has been returned as much as possible to the way it would have looked in 1894 When restoration work was completed it was reopened after being closed for two years on June 8 2013 That day the OPRD welcomed a group of nearly 100 supporters to Heceta Head State Scenic Viewpoint to celebrate the reopening See also editList of lighthouses in Oregon List of Oregon state parksReferences edit National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service July 9 2010 Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Retrieved 2007 08 23 Harrington John Peabody 1942 Alsea Siuslaw Coos Southwestern Oregon Athapaskan Vocaularies Linguistic Notes Ethnographic and Historical Notes JPH papers Alaska Northwest Coast National Anthropological Archives Smithsonian Institution Washington DC 24 232 Harrington John Peabody 1942 Alsea Siuslaw Coos Southwestern Oregon Athapaskan Vocaularies Linguistic Notes Ethnographic and Historical Notes JPH papers Alaska Northwest Coast Nat l Anthropological Archives Smithsonian Institution Washington D C 23 318a Jacobs Melville 1932 34 Coos notes University of Washington Seattle WA Frachtenberg Leo 1913 Coos Texts Columbia University Contributions of Anthropology No 1 New York a b Heceta Head Lighthouse PDF Oregon Parks and Recreation Department Archived from the original PDF on 2006 03 21 Retrieved 2008 06 20 Oregon listings for Lane County National Register of Historic Places Retrieved 2007 08 23 Style amp Vernacular A Guide to the Architecture of Lane County Oregon Western Imprints The Press of the Oregon Historical Society 1983 ISBN 0 87595 085 X External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Heceta Head Light Heceta Head Lighthouse Keeper s House official website Heceta Head Light Archived 2006 08 13 at the Wayback Machine entry in National Park Service inventory of historic lighthouses Discover Oregon Lighthouses Heceta Archived 2006 06 01 at the Wayback Machine Ghostly Tale Draws Couple To Heceta Head May 16 2002 article from The Register Guard Heceta House A History and Architectural Survey Archived 2011 07 26 at the Wayback Machine from the U S Forest Service 3D Model permanent dead link Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Heceta Head Light amp oldid 1222886101, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
