This article is about the lighthouse at Yaquina Bay. For the lighthouse at Yaquina Head, see Yaquina Head Light.
The Yaquina Bay Light is a lighthouse that was built in 1871, soon after the founding of the city of Newport, Oregon, in the United States. It is located on the north side of Yaquina Bay. In 1871–1874, it was the busiest and most populated of the many coastal ports between Washington and California.[2]
The Yaquina Bay Light was built by Ben Simpson[1] and first lit on November 3, 1871. It was active for only three years due to the establishment of the larger Yaquina Head Light in 1873 that was located just 3 miles (4.8 km) north of the Yaquina Bay Light. So the lighthouse was decommissioned on October 1, 1874, because the newer Yaquina Head Light made it obsolete. The fifth-order Fresnel lens was then installed in the Yerba Buena Light in California for its opening in 1875.[3]
The United States Army Corps of Engineers used the lighthouse from 1888 to 1896 as their living quarters while they built the North and South Jetties at the mouth of Yaquina Bay. The United States Coast Guard later used the lighthouse as lookout and living quarters from 1906 to 1915, before moving to their more central quarters which overlooked the busy Newport bayfront. During this period, the Coast Guard also built the eight-story steel observation tower that still stands next to the original lighthouse.
In 1934, the Oregon State Highway Division bought the property around the lighthouse to build a new state park. The park site included the lighthouse, the Coast Guard observation tower, and many acres of forested bluff, ocean dunes and surrounding beaches.[citation needed] It is now the Yaquina Bay State Recreation Area and consists of 32 acres of several day-use areas including hiking trails, picnic areas, fishing, and beach access, and has approximately 1,700,000 visitors per year.
Sometime later in 1946, the lighthouse was scheduled for demolition, which led to the formation of the Lincoln County Historical Society to save it. They raised money for three years to save the dilapidated structure, and got a delay. But by 1951, demolition was again scheduled. Then, Mr. L. E. Warford, who had recently moved to Newport from Ohio, arranged for the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse to be recognized as a historical site supervised by the Historical Society. It served as a county museum for 18 years until 1970.[3]
The light was re-lit on December 7, 1996, with "a 9.8-inch (250 mm) modern optic, on loan from lighthouse historian James A. Gibbs."[3] The lighthouse is now a privately maintained navigational aid belonging to the U.S. Coast Guard that displays "a fixed white light visible for six miles,"[3] and is open for public viewing and tours daily.[3]
The Yaquina Bay structure is the only existing lighthouse in the state in which the living quarters are housed in the same building as the light.[4] Only a few with this arrangement were built on the entire Pacific coast.
The building is reputed to be haunted.[5] The haunting is the subject of a fictional work by a local author called The Lighthouse Ghost Of Yaquina Bay.[6]
^ abcdef"Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, Oregon". Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 2008-11-25.
^Combined living and lighthouse quarters existed in Point Adams Light, but was decommissioned in 1899 and demolished in 1912.
^Lischen M. Miller (1899). "The Haunted Lighthouse". reprinted by Pacific Monthly. Retrieved 2007-05-13.
^Mason, Alexandra (2017-07-30). The Lighthouse Ghost: of Yaquina Bay. ISBN978-0911443493.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.
(web archive)
Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse from Splintercat
August 24, 2023
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This article is about the lighthouse at Yaquina Bay For the lighthouse at Yaquina Head see Yaquina Head Light The Yaquina Bay Light is a lighthouse that was built in 1871 soon after the founding of the city of Newport Oregon in the United States It is located on the north side of Yaquina Bay In 1871 1874 it was the busiest and most populated of the many coastal ports between Washington and California 2 Yaquina Bay LightYaquina Bay LightLocationYaquina Bay State Recreation SiteCoordinates44 37 27 N 124 03 46 W 44 62415 N 124 06290 W 44 62415 124 06290TowerConstructed1871 FoundationNatural emplacedConstructionWoodHeight51 feet 16 m ShapeSquareHeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place LightFirst lit1871Deactivated1874 1996Focal height50 m 160 ft LensFifth order Fresnel lens original 250MM replacement Range6 nmi 11 km 6 9 mi CharacteristicF W Old Yaquina Bay LighthouseU S National Register of Historic PlacesArea2 3 acres 0 93 ha Built1871Built byBen SimpsonNRHP reference No 74001692 1 Added to NRHP1970 Contents 1 History 2 See also 3 References 4 External linksHistory Edit The side of the lighthouseThe Yaquina Bay Light was built by Ben Simpson 1 and first lit on November 3 1871 It was active for only three years due to the establishment of the larger Yaquina Head Light in 1873 that was located just 3 miles 4 8 km north of the Yaquina Bay Light So the lighthouse was decommissioned on October 1 1874 because the newer Yaquina Head Light made it obsolete The fifth order Fresnel lens was then installed in the Yerba Buena Light in California for its opening in 1875 3 The United States Army Corps of Engineers used the lighthouse from 1888 to 1896 as their living quarters while they built the North and South Jetties at the mouth of Yaquina Bay The United States Coast Guard later used the lighthouse as lookout and living quarters from 1906 to 1915 before moving to their more central quarters which overlooked the busy Newport bayfront During this period the Coast Guard also built the eight story steel observation tower that still stands next to the original lighthouse In 1934 the Oregon State Highway Division bought the property around the lighthouse to build a new state park The park site included the lighthouse the Coast Guard observation tower and many acres of forested bluff ocean dunes and surrounding beaches citation needed It is now the Yaquina Bay State Recreation Area and consists of 32 acres of several day use areas including hiking trails picnic areas fishing and beach access and has approximately 1 700 000 visitors per year Sometime later in 1946 the lighthouse was scheduled for demolition which led to the formation of the Lincoln County Historical Society to save it They raised money for three years to save the dilapidated structure and got a delay But by 1951 demolition was again scheduled Then Mr L E Warford who had recently moved to Newport from Ohio arranged for the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse to be recognized as a historical site supervised by the Historical Society It served as a county museum for 18 years until 1970 3 The lighthouse was then listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970 1 and restored under the Historic Preservation Act in 1974 At that time its ownership was transferred to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department 3 The light was re lit on December 7 1996 with a 9 8 inch 250 mm modern optic on loan from lighthouse historian James A Gibbs 3 The lighthouse is now a privately maintained navigational aid belonging to the U S Coast Guard that displays a fixed white light visible for six miles 3 and is open for public viewing and tours daily 3 The Yaquina Bay structure is the only existing lighthouse in the state in which the living quarters are housed in the same building as the light 4 Only a few with this arrangement were built on the entire Pacific coast The building is reputed to be haunted 5 The haunting is the subject of a fictional work by a local author called The Lighthouse Ghost Of Yaquina Bay 6 See also EditYaquina Bay State Recreation Site List of lighthouses in OregonReferences Edit a b c National Register Information System National Register of Historic Places National Park Service July 9 2010 Yaquina Bay Lighthouse LighthouseFriends a b c d e f Yaquina Bay Lighthouse Oregon Lighthouse Friends Retrieved 2008 11 25 Combined living and lighthouse quarters existed in Point Adams Light but was decommissioned in 1899 and demolished in 1912 Lischen M Miller 1899 The Haunted Lighthouse reprinted by Pacific Monthly Retrieved 2007 05 13 Mason Alexandra 2017 07 30 The Lighthouse Ghost of Yaquina Bay ISBN 978 0911443493 External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Yaquina Bay Lighthouse Yaquina Bay Light entry in National Park Service inventory of historic lighthouses web archive Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses Yaquina Bay Lighthouse from Splintercat Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Yaquina Bay Light amp oldid 1157477224, 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