Lime Kiln Light

The Lime Kiln Light is a functioning navigational aid located on Lime Kiln Point overlooking Dead Man's Bay on the western side of San Juan Island, San Juan County, Washington, in the United States.[3] It guides ships through the Haro Straits and is part of Lime Kiln Point State Park, which offers tours during summer months.[4]

Lime Kiln Light
LocationSan Juan Island, Washington
Coordinates48.5157°N 123.1527°W / 48.5157; -123.1527[1]
Year first lit1919
Automated1962
FoundationSurface
ConstructionConcrete
Tower shapeOctagonal
Tower height38 feet (12 m)
Focal height19 metre 
Original lensFourth order Fresnel lens
Range15 nautical miles; 27 kilometres (17 mi)
CharacteristicWhite flash every 10 s
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Lime Kiln Light Station
Nearest cityFriday Harbor, Washington
Area8 acres (3.2 ha)
Built1917-1919 (1917-1919)
NRHP reference No.78002771[2]
Added to NRHPDecember 14, 1978

History

The Lime Kiln Light was established in 1914[5] when acetylene lights were placed on Lime Kiln Point, a name derived from the lime kilns built there in the 1860s.[6] It was the last major light established in Washington.[7] The light was updated five years later with a 38-foot (12 m) octagonal concrete tower rising from the fog signal building, a design that matches the Alki Point Light in Seattle.[8] Two keeper's houses and other structures also date from around this time.[9] A fourth-order Fresnel lens was first exhibited from the new tower on June 30, 1919.[7] The Coast Guard automated the Lime Kiln Lighthouse in August 1962, using photoelectric cells to turn the light on at dusk and off during daylight hours. In 1998, the drum lens was replaced with a modern optic, flashing a white light once every 10 seconds.[10] Sitting on the rocky shoreline at a height of 55 feet (17 m), the beacon is visible for 15 nautical miles; 27 kilometres (17 mi).[8]

References
  1. "Lime Kiln Lighthouse". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey.
  2. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  3. "Lime Kiln Light". Inventory of Historic Light Stations: Washington Lighthouses. National Park Service. Archived from the original on April 17, 2004. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  4. "Tours". Friends of Lime Kiln Society. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  5. "National Register of Historic Places Nomination Form". National Park Service. November 2, 1977. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  6. "Lime Kiln Point State Park". Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission. Archived from the original on April 21, 2015. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  7. "Lime Kiln, WA". Lighthousefriends. Retrieved May 4, 2010.
  8. "Lime Kiln Light". Lighthouse Digest. Foghorn Publishing. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
  9. Rowlett, Russ (October 19, 2014). "Lighthouses of the United States: Washington". University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved May 4, 2015.
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