![]() ![]() The West Point Lighthouse was transferred from the U.S. Congress passed the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, which allowed for stations to be transferred at no cost to public or non-profit organizations for further management. When the West Point Lighthouse was finally automated in 1985, it was the last lighthouse to be automated in Washington State. On the 100th Anniversary of the West Point Lighthouse in November 1981, one of the station’s last lighthouse keepers, First Class Bosun’s Mate, Marvin Gerbers, climbed to the roof of the lighthouse and poured champagne from the tower in celebration. In 1977, the West Point Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places, and it has also been listed on the Washington Heritage Register of Historic Places. Lighthouse management was transferred to the U.S. East of the lighthouse, a five-room wood-frame Keepers’ Cottage was constructed in the Cape Cod style. Although a modern light has since replaced the Fresnel lens, this historic device remains mounted in the lantern room. The light originally revolved once every two minutes, producing alternating red and white flashes, each spaced 10 seconds apart, illuminating the shoals, reefs, and harbor entrances. Sautter, Lemmonier, et Cie., was installed in the lantern room. A fourth-order Fresnel lens, manufactured in Paris by L. The West Point Lighthouse became operational in November 1881, prior to storm season and months of inclement weather. Lighthouse Service built the first manned light station in Puget Sound. Congress appropriated $25,000, and in 1881, the U.S. The Duwamish tribe of the Coast Salish people called it "PKa'dz Eltue" (phonetically, “Per-co-dus-cule”), which means “thrusts far out.” In 1872, the Lighthouse Board recommended that the area be marked by a signal light. Wilkes from the United States Exploring Expedition, though the area has long been known locally as Sandy Point. The place name, “West Point,” was assigned in the mid-19th century by Lieutenant Charles D. Although early accounts described the station as isolated and remote, today a steady stream of boats pass by on route through Elliott Bay and Puget Sound, including ferry boats, fishing boats, cruise ships, freighters, tugboats, and recreational watercraft. The small, stout beacon has been guiding vessels in and out of Seattle since 1881. Located in Seattle’s Discovery Park at the northern entrance to Elliot Bay, the West Point Lighthouse overlooks the busiest waterway in the State of Washington.
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