What is the oldest active lighthouse in the world?
Hook Lighthouse
The Hook Lighthouse (; also known as Hook Head Lighthouse) is a building situated on  Hook Head at the tip of the Hook Peninsula in County Wexford, in Ireland. It is one of the oldest lighthouses in the world and the second oldest operating lighthouse in the world, after the Tower of Hercules in Spain. It is operated by the Commissioners of Irish Lights, the Irish Lighthouse Authority, it marks the eastern entrance to Waterford Harbour. The current structure has stood for 846 years as of 2018.
Point of Ayre Lighthouse
The Point of Ayre Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse, sited at the Point of Ayre at the north-eastern end of the Isle of Man. It was designed and built by Robert Stevenson, grandfather of prolific writer and novelist Robert Louis Stevenson, and was first lit in 1818, making it the oldest operational lighthouse on the island.
Cape Rachado Lighthouse
The Cape Rachado Lighthouse () is a lighthouse located in Cape Rachado, also known as Tanjung Tuan in Malay, in Alor Gajah District, Malacca, Malaysia. The lighthouse is believed to be the oldest in the country, its history allegedly dating back to Portuguese rule of Malacca during the 16th century.
Highland Light
The Highland Light (previously known as Cape Cod Light) is an active lighthouse on the Cape Cod National Seashore in North Truro, Massachusetts. The current tower was erected in 1857, replacing two earlier towers that had been built in 1797 and 1831. It is the oldest and tallest lighthouse on Cape Cod.
Pine Islet Light
Pine Islet Light, also known as Percy Isles Light, is an active lighthouse located at Pine Islet, a small islet belonging to the Percy Isles group of the Northumberland Islands, about southeast of Mackay, Queensland, Australia. The original lighthouse, established 1885, was active for a hundred years, until it was deactivated in 1985, by then the last kerosene powered lighthouse in Australia. It was relocated to the Mackay Marina in 1985 and restored to full working condition, making it the last fully functional kerosene operated lighthouse in the world. At the original location now stands a modern fiberglass tower.
Sumburgh Head Lighthouse
The lighthouse was built by Robert Stevenson in 1821 and is the oldest lighthouse on Shetland. From 1906 until 1987 there was also a foghorn, which is traversable in azimuth. This replaced a fog bell which had been presented after the loss of the "" in 1864. The bell now hangs in the parish church at Dunrossness. The light was automated in 1991 and the keepers' houses were converted into holiday accommodation. The lighthouse complex also has offices for the RSPB who look after the bird reserve which surrounds the lighthouse.
Sandy Hook Light
The Sandy Hook Lighthouse, located about one and a half statute miles (2.4 km) inland from the tip of Sandy Hook, New Jersey, is the oldest working lighthouse in the United States. It was designed and built on June 11, 1764 by Isaac Conro. At that time, it stood only from the tip of Sandy Hook; however, today, due to growth caused by littoral drift, it is almost inland from the tip.
Ilfracombe
Since at least the mid-17th century a light has been displayed from the 14th century chapel atop Lantern Hill, to guide ships entering the harbour. The light remains operational, and is said to be Britain's oldest lighthouse. The current lantern was installed by Trinity House in 1819. The light is presently operated by the harbour authority and the Grade I listed building is owned by the North Devon Council. Regular worship in the chapel ceased at the Reformation, and for a time the building served as a cottage for lighthouse keepers before falling into some dilapidation. It was restored in 1962, however, by the local Rotary Club, under whose auspices the chapel is open to visitors in the summer months.
Poplar Point Light
Poplar Point Light (Lighthouse), built in 1831, is an historic lighthouse in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. It stands at the end of Poplar Point, marking the southern point of Wickford Harbor. The lighthouse was built in 1831 with a stone keeper's dwelling and wooden tower. The light was deactivated in 1882 and replaced by the Wickford Harbor Light. It was sold at auction in 1894 and has been altered by later owners. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. The tower is the oldest surviving wooden lighthouse tower in the United States, and the oldest in Rhode Island still standing at its original location.
List of lighthouses in Virginia
The first lighthouse in the state was erected in 1792 (the first Cape Henry Light) and it is the oldest surviving structure; the last, Chesapeake Light, was built in 1965 (ignoring automated towers erected later). The tallest extant tower is that at Cape Charles Light.
Winterton Lighthouse
A lighthouse has been known to have stood in this location since the 17th century
The first lighthouse was constructed between 1616 and 1618 and was destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt in 1687 and had an octagonal tower and was privately owned by the Turner family. The owners were entitled to a penny for every ton for every ship that sailed within the light. It can be seen clearly on Faden's large-scale map (at one inch to the mile) of the county of Norfolk of 1779, and Bryant's map of 1826. In 1836, the lighthouse was bought out by Trinity House. During the World War I, the present lighthouse became a military lookout post. Soon after, in 1921, the lighthouse ceased operations. In 1921, the lighthouse and its cottage were turned into a private residence and its lantern was replaced by a circular observation room.
Ona Lighthouse
The lighthouse was built in 1867 and was fully automated in 1971. The tall round cast iron lighthouse is red and the light sits at an elevation of above sea level. The continuous white light shines all night long and it also has a bright red flash every 30 seconds. The main light has an intensity of 79,000 candela and the red flash has an intensity of 295,000 candela. The lighthouse is in operation from 16 July until 21 May each year; it does not operate during the rest of the year due to the midnight sun in May-July. The light can be seen for up to .
Amelia Island Light
The Amelia Island Light is the oldest existing lighthouse in the state of Florida in the United States. It is located near the northern end of Amelia Island in the northeastern part of the state. Its light marks St. Marys Entrance, the inlet leading to St. Marys River, the Cumberland Sound and the harbor of Fernandina Beach, Florida along the Amelia River. The white light flashes every ten seconds which turns red from 344° to 360° when covering the shoal water in the vicinity of Nassau Sound.
Ovisi Lighthouse
Ovisi Lighthouse (Latvian: "Ovišu bāka") — a lighthouse located in Tārgale on the Latvian coast of the Baltic Sea. The lighthouse in Tārgale, is the oldest functioning lighthouse in Latvia; the village was once a settlement of plunderers which made false signal-fires to rob seamen on stranded ships and steal their goods. The locality, on historic maps, is known as "Lusesort". The name originates from the Swedish word "lysa", meaning "to burn"; "ort" meaning "cape". When the lighthouse was built in the nineteenth century, it was used as a navigational aid, with its walls more than half a metre thick. The lighthouse is 33 metres in height, built as a double-cylindrical structure, with a 3.5 metre high storage building westward of the lighthouse. Currently the base of the lighthouse houses a museum based on the history of Latvia's lighthouses.
Hiiu County
On demands of the Hanseatic League a lighthouse was built in Kõpu in the beginning of 16th century (previously known as "Dagerort"). It is considered the third oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the whole world, still showing its light to 35 miles to the sea.
List of lighthouses in Minnesota
The first lighthouse in the state was erected in 1858 and the last in 1922 (ignoring automated towers erected later); the oldest active light is the Two Harbors Light.
Vittoria Light
Vittoria Light () also known as the Victory Lighthouse, is an active lighthouse in Trieste, Italy, serving the Gulf of Trieste. It is located on the hill of Gretta (Poggio di Gretta), off the Strada del Friuli. At a height of it is one of the tallest lighthouses in the world.
History of lighthouses in Canada
Next came the Sambro Island Light in 1760. Located at the entrance to Halifax harbor, it has been upgraded over the years but remains the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in North America, predating New Jersey's Sandy Hook Light by 4 years, and such venerable lighthouses as Virginia's Cape Henry Light, Maine's photogenic Portland Head Light, and Long Island's Montauk Point Light by three decades.
Low Head Lighthouse
Low Head Lighthouse is in Low Head, Tasmania, about north of George Town on the east side of the mouth of the Tamar River. It was the third lighthouse to be constructed in Australia, and it is also Australia's oldest continuously used pilot station. This light is now unmanned and automated.
Ocracoke Light
Ocracoke Light is the oldest operating light station in North Carolina and the second oldest lighthouse still standing in the state. The lighthouse was automated in 1955. During the summer months when there is a U.S. National Park Ranger on duty, visitors may access the base of the lighthouse. Access to the top of the lighthouse is not allowed due to the simple steel spiral staircase being safe only for maintenance activity.
Key West Lighthouse
The Key West Lighthouse is located in Key West, Florida. The first Key West lighthouse was a tower completed in 1825. It had 15 lamps in reflectors. The first keeper, Michael Mabrity, died in 1832, and his widow, Barbara, became the lighthouse keeper, serving for 32 years. The Great Havana Hurricane of 1846 destroyed the lighthouse; the USS "Morris", which was wrecked during the storm, reported "a white sand beach covers the spot where Key West Lighthouse stood". Barbara Mabrity survived, but fourteen people who had sought refuge in the lighthouse tower died, including seven members of her family. (The same hurricane destroyed the Sand Key Lighthouse, eight miles (13 km) away, killing six people, including the keeper, Rebecca Flaherty, another widow of a previous keeper.) Barbara Mabrity continued to serve as keeper of the Key West Light until the early 1860s, when she was fired at age 82 for making statements against the Union (Key West remained under Union control throughout the Civil War).
Point Pinos Lighthouse
Point Pinos Lighthouse was lit in 1855 to guide ships on the Pacific coast of California. It is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States and even the lens is original. Alcatraz Island Lighthouse preceded Point Pinos by 8 months, but was replaced in 1909 by the expanding military prison. The Point Pinos Lighthouse is still an active Coast Guard aid to navigation. On-site museum exhibits and other lighthouse related functions are operated by the city of Pacific Grove, Monterey County, California. The lighthouse is surrounded by the Pacific Grove Municipal Golf Links.
Cordouan Lighthouse
Cordouan lighthouse is an active lighthouse located at sea, near the mouth of the Gironde estuary in France. At a height of , it is the tenth-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world.
Monterey Peninsula
The Point Piños Light in Pacific Grove is the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the West Coast of the United States. It was built in 1855, and has served as an aid to navigation ever since.
Mikomotoshima Lighthouse
The Mikomotojima Lighthouse is currently the oldest lighthouse still in use in Japan. It is registered with the International Association of Lighthouse Authorities as one of the “One Hundred Most Important Lighthouses in the World” and by the Japanese government as a National Historic Monument.
Absecon Lighthouse
The Absecon Lighthouse is a coastal lighthouse located in the north end of Atlantic City, New Jersey, overlooking Absecon Inlet. At it is the tallest lighthouse in the state of New Jersey and the third-tallest masonry lighthouse in the United States. Construction began in 1854, with the light first lit on January 15, 1857. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1933 and, although the light still shines every night, it is no longer an active navigational aid. The lighthouse is open to public visitation and, for a small donation, one may climb to the watch room and external gallery. A re-creation of the keepers' quarters was opened in 2002 and serves as a museum and gift shop. The original oil house now contains a Fresnel lens exhibit. Along with school and group tours, the Absecon Lighthouse offers an overnight program for Scouts, a winter arts program for children, and a wide variety of special events throughout the year.
Cabo da Roca Lighthouse
The Cabo da Roca Lighthouse () is a beacon/lighthouse located above the Atlantic Ocean, on Portugal's (and continental Europe's) most westerly extent (Cabo da Roca). It is located in the civil parish of Colares, in the municipality of Sintra, situated on a promontory that juts out into the ocean, made up of granite boulders and interspersed limestone. It is a third-order lighthouse, which originally began operating in 1772. It was the first new purpose-built lighthouse to be constructed in the country: the older lighthouses in existence at that time, were constructed on existing platforms or from pre-existing beacons.
Recalada a Bahía Blanca Light
Recalada a Bahía Blanca Light, also known as Monte Hermoso Light or simply Recalada Light (lit. landfall), is an active lighthouse in Monte Hermoso, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, marking the entrance to the Bahía Blanca. At a height of it is the eleventh-tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world, as well as the tallest lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere.
Sambro Island Light
Sambro Island Lighthouse is a landfall lighthouse located at the entrance to Halifax Harbour, Nova Scotia, on an island near the community of Sambro in the Halifax Regional Municipality. It is the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America and its construction is a National Historic Event.
Montauk, New York
Located at the tip of the South Fork peninsula of Long Island, east of Midtown Manhattan, Montauk has been used as an Army, Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force base. The Montauk Point Light was the first lighthouse in New York state and is the fourth oldest active lighthouse in the United States.
Dog Island Lighthouse
Dog Island Lighthouse has twice featured on New Zealand stamps. In 1969, the New Zealand Government Life Insurance Department (better known as Government Life) issued five stamps showing lighthouses, with the highest denomination (15c) depicting the Dog Island Lighthouse. In 2009, New Zealand Post issued five stamps commemorating the 150th anniversary of New Zealand's oldest lighthouse at Pencarrow Head; the Dog Island Lighthouse was included with a $1 value.
Cape Otway Lighthouse
Cape Otway Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Cape Otway in southern Victoria, Australia. It is Victoria's oldest working lighthouse. During winter to spring, the lighthouse is a vantage point for land-based whale watching as migrating whales swim very close to shores.
Sapelo Island Light
Sapelo Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Georgia, 
United States, near the southern tip of Sapelo Island. It is the nation's second-oldest brick lighthouse and the oldest survivor among lighthouses designed by Winslow Lewis. The lighthouse, oil building, the cistern, the footing of the 1905 light, the ruins of the fortification, and the associated range light were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1997.
Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society
The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society (NSLPS) is a non profit charitable organization that works to save lighthouses in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. It is the largest and oldest lighthouse heritage organization in Canada. The society was formed in 1993 by a group of lighthouse supporters who met on a trip to Sambro Island Lighthouse, near Halifax, the oldest surviving lighthouse in North America. The society lists its goals as supporting the preservation and awareness of lighthouses, assisting community groups in leasing or taking ownership of lighthouses, developing research and acting as a watchdog on the state of lighthouses.
Happisburgh
The red-and-white striped lighthouse, to the south of the church is the only independently operated lighthouse in Great Britain and is the oldest working lighthouse in East Anglia having been constructed in 1790. It is open to the public on occasional Sundays during the summer.
Holyhead Mail Pier Light
Holyhead Mail Pier Light on Salt Island, Anglesey, is an inactive lighthouse which was built by the civil engineer John Rennie in 1821. It is probably the second oldest lighthouse in Wales, after Point of Ayr Lighthouse and is the last of three lighthouses located on the island.
Bremerhaven lighthouse
The Bremerhaven lighthouse, also known as the Simon Loschen tower or Loschen-lighthouse, is the rear light of a pair of Leading lights at the "New Harbour" of Bremerhaven, Germany. It is the oldest operative lighthouse on the mainland along Germany's North Sea shore and is counted among the city's landmarks.
Campen lighthouse
Campen lighthouse is an active lighthouse in the village Campen, by the Ems estuary, northwest of Emden, in the East Frisia region, state of Lower Saxony, Germany. At a height of it is the fourteenth tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world and the tallest in Germany.
Sambro, Nova Scotia
Sambro Island is located within the community southeast of the harbour and is home to the Sambro Island Lighthouse, the oldest operational lighthouse in the Americas (since 1758). It stands 62 feet on the top of the rocky island. The original lens from the lighthouse is on display at the Maritime Museum of the Atlantic in Halifax.
Sambro Harbour also has a small pepperpot style lighthouse located at the harbour entrance.
Barcelona Light
The lighthouse was established in 1829 through the efforts of Thomas B. Campbell. The conical tower and attached keeper's cottage were constructed of fieldstone, with a natural, emplaced foundation. The light was emitted by eleven lamps with reflectors. It was the first lighthouse in the world to be powered by natural gas, which Campbell transported from a "burning spring" about a mile distant by means of wooden pipes. Thirty years later, in 1859, the lighthouse was deactivated, but it still stands lit today after over 100 years in private ownership, it is now owned by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation.
Tiritiri Matangi lighthouse
Tiritiri Matangi lighthouse, also known as Tiritiri lighthouse, is a lighthouse on Tiritiri Matangi, an island in the Hauraki Gulf 28 km north of Auckland in the North Island of New Zealand. It is owned and operated by Maritime New Zealand. It is considered the best-preserved lighthouse complex in the country, and is the oldest lighthouse in New Zealand still in operation. It was once the most powerful lighthouse in the Southern Hemisphere.
L'Agulhas
The Cape Agulhas Lighthouse, the second-oldest working lighthouse in South Africa, is at the southern end of the town. Designed by Colonel Charles Cornwell Michell in homage to the Pharos of Alexandria, the lighthouse was lit on March 1, 1849. Some 150 ships lay scattered along the South African coast, many due to the treacherous Agulhas Reef. It is in memory of the countless lives lost and to warn passing ships of the pending danger that the Cape Agulhas Lighthouse was designed and built. The lighthouse was declared a National Monument in 1973.
Punta Imperatore Lighthouse
The first lighthouse was built in 1884 and the current was activated in 1916; it consists of a 2-storey masonry white keeper's house with the tower, high, attached to the sea side with balcony and lantern. The lantern, painted in white and the dome in grey metallic, is positioned at above sea level and emits two white flashes in a 15 seconds period, visible up to a distance of . The lighthouse is completely automated and operated by the Marina Militare with the identification code number 2398 E.F.
The lighthouse for many years was managed by Lucia Capuano, widow of the lighthouse keeper who died in service on November 25, 1937, who succeed to get her husband's job and become a keeper herself.
Longstone Lighthouse
Longstone Lighthouse is an active 19th century lighthouse lighthouse located on Longstone Rock in the outer group of the Farne Islands off the Northumberland Coast, England. Completed in 1826, it was originally called the Outer Farne Lighthouse, and complemented the earlier Inner Farne Lighthouse. The lighthouse is best known for the 1838 wreck of the "Forfarshire" and the role of Grace Darling, the lighthouse keeper's daughter, in rescuing survivors.
Macquarie Lighthouse
The Head Keeper's Quarters were modified in 1887 after complaints about the standard of accommodation. The western wing of this building was added in 1899. Despite having once been thought to be the "most efficient light in the world", by 1909 it was deemed to be obsolete, unable to cope with the heavy winter fogs. In 1912, following a call to standardise all lighthouses, the electric light at the Macquarie Lighthouse was replaced with a kerosene system. The new fuel was cheaper to run and required just two men to operate. On 1st July 1915 all the ocean lighthouses were transferred to the control of the Commonwealth Lighthouse Service. The two remaining cottages on the site include the head keeper's cottage built on the south side and the assistant lighthouse keepers' semi-detached cottages built in 1881 on the north side (converted into one cottage ). The former is now the oldest intact freestanding lightkeeper's quarters in Australia. Both these cottages are on 125 year Commonwealth leases to end between 2116 & 2119. A third cottage for the engineer and assistants built in 1885 was demolished in 1970 to make way for four townhouses still present on the site.
Kvassheim Lighthouse
The original wooden lighthouse was built in 1912 and it has been inactive since 1990. The tall lantern and gallery are centered on the roof of a 1-1/2 story wood keeper's house. The building is painted white and the lantern is red. In 2003, the management of the old station was transferred to the Jæren Friluftsråd (Recreation Council), which began restoration work the following winter. The building now includes a cafeteria and a small museum. The site and lighthouse are open daily from late June to mid-August and on Sundays and holidays during the rest of the year except January.
Thunder Bay Island Light
Thunder Bay Island Light, located on Thunder Bay Island's southeast tip, is one of the oldest operating lighthouses in Michigan. The third operating U.S. lighthouse in Lake Huron was built here in 1831, but it disintegrated almost at once and was rebuilt in 1832 of local limestone. This 1830s light tower was raised ) to a height of in 1857, and sheathed with brick. A fourth order Fresnel lens was installed. This 1857 light tower is the current Thunder Bay Island Light, although the tower has been further altered and is currently high.
List of lighthouses in Rhode Island
The first lighthouse in the state was erected in 1749 and the last in 1962 (ignoring automated towers erected later); the oldest surviving structure is the much-modified Poplar Point Light, although the tower now standing at Prudence Island Light was first erected at Goat Island in 1824. The tallest extant tower is that at Beavertail Light, though the focal plane of the Block Island Southeast Light is much higher on account of the bluffs upon which it sits.
Hook Head
This area is renowned as the location of Hook Lighthouse, the oldest working lighthouse in the world. Access to the lighthouse is by guided tours only which are available all year around. At the foot of the light house there is a cafe, gift shop and a maritime exhibition. The lighthouse is part of Ireland's Ancient East, information about attractions on the peninsula is available at the Ireland's Ancient East sign.
Falkner Island Light
Falkner Island Light, also known as the Faulkner Island Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, on Falkner Island which is off Guilford Harbor on Long Island Sound. The lighthouse was constructed in 1802 and commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. The lighthouse has had three keeper's houses: the original house of 1802 was rebuilt in 1851 and then again in 1871. The 1871 keeper's house survived to 1976, when it was destroyed by fire; the Coast Guard repaired and automated the lighthouse two years later. A volunteer group, the Faulkner's Light Brigade, has undertaken the restoration and preservation of the lighthouse since 1991, completing the last major restoration work in March 2011. Access to Falkner Island and the light is restricted during the nesting season of the roseate terns from May to August yearly. The Falkner Island Lighthouse, as the second oldest extant lighthouse in Connecticut, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Cedar Point
Lighthouse Point contains 64 cottages and 40 cabins and is located along the west bank of the peninsula. The centerpiece of Lighthouse Point is the Cedar Point Light, which was built in 1862 and is the oldest existing structure on the peninsula. It has an outdoor pool and outdoor whirlpool spa, a shuffleboard court, a game room, and shuttle service.
Cape Moreton Light
Cape Moreton Light, also listed as North Point Range Rear Light, is an heritage-listed active lighthouse located on Cape Moreton, a rocky headland located at the north eastern tip of Moreton Island, a large sand island on the eastern side of Moreton Bay, on the coast of South East Queensland, Australia. It marks the northern entrance to Moreton Bay and Brisbane and also serves as the rear light for the North Point Range. With its two distinctive red bands, it also serves as a daymark. It is the oldest lighthouse in Queensland, and the only one to be built by the New South Wales Government before the separation of Queensland, which took place in 1859. It is also the only lighthouse in Queensland to be built of stone.
Maritime history of Europe
The Pharos of Meloria is often considered the first lighthouse in Europe since Roman times. Meloria, a rocky islet off the Tuscan coast in the Tyrrhenian Sea, was the location of two medieval naval battles. The Tower of Hercules (Torre de Hércules), in northwestern Spain, is almost 1,900 years old. The ancient Roman lighthouse stands near A Coruña, Galicia, and is 57 metres (185 ft) in height. It is the oldest working Roman lighthouse in the world.
Cape Otway Lighthouse
The light was first lit in 1848 using a first order Fresnel lens; it was the second lighthouse completed on mainland Australia and it remains the oldest surviving lighthouse in mainland Australia. It was decommissioned in January 1994 after being the longest continuous operating light on the Australian mainland. At the keeper's cottages of Apollo Bay, accommodation is available in two double studios or in the head keeper's cottage that will sleep groups ranging from two to sixteen people. A telegraph station was added to the site when Tasmania was connected to the mainland by a submarine telegraph line from Cape Otway to Launceston in 1859.
Cape Enrage
The oldest lighthouse on the New Brunswick mainland, dating from 1838, is located at Cape Enrage. The lighthouse itself has been automated and unmanned since the 1980s, but it has recently become a popular tourist destination, as a result of a concentrated effort by local students to renovate the property and run it as a summer project. In 2004, Frommer's travel guide listed it as one of the 'Best Views in Canada'.
Acadian sailors made early mention of 'Cap Enragé,' and after the Acadian expulsion, British settlers anglicised the name to Cape Enrage. During the 1840s, Cape Enrage won a contested debate as the location of the first lighthouse in Chignecto Bay, and the lighthouse was erected in 1847. A variety of boathouses and temporary lighthouse keeper's houses were built over the next decades, but were frequently damaged or destroyed in the region's numerous storms and harsh winters. The lighthouse itself was heavily damaged in one storm in the 1840s, and was extensively repaired. The current lighthouse keeper's house dates from 1952.
Pooles Island Light
Pooles Island Light is the oldest lighthouse still standing in Maryland and the fourth oldest in the Chesapeake Bay area.
Old Hunstanton Lighthouse
Old Hunstanton Lighthouse is located in Old Hunstanton in the English county of Norfolk. The present lighthouse was built in 1840 although there has been a Lighthouse on the site since 1665. This first lighthouse was built of wood with an iron basket of burning coals as a light. Hunstanton lighthouse had the world's first parabolic reflector which was built here in 1776. The present lighthouse ceased operations in 1922, since when it has been a private residence and a Holiday Let.
Wharton Reef Light
Wharton Reef Light is an inactive lighthouse which used to be located on Wharton Reef in Princess Charlotte Bay off the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland, Australia. When it was deactivated in 1990 it was donated to the Townsville Maritime Museum and it is now on display near the museum. It is the only survivor of a series of twenty automatic lighthouses installed in Queensland during the "Golden Age of Australian Lighthouses" from 1913 to the early 1920s.
Green Point Lighthouse, Cape Town
The Green Point Lighthouse, Cape Town is an operational lighthouse on the South African coast. First lit on 12 April 1824, it is located on Mouille Point. The lighthouse was the first solid lighthouse structure on the South African coast and the oldest operational lighthouse in South Africa. The lighthouse was commissioned by acting Governor of the Cape Colony Sir Rufane Shaw Donkin and designed by German architect Herman Shutte. Building commenced in 1821 and was completed in 1823. The lighthouse started operating in 1824. The lighthouse cost approximately £6,420 pounds sterling to build. When the lighthouse was first lit, it burned Argand lamps fueled by sperm whale oil. The light from these lanterns could be seen for . The lighthouse was expanded to its present height in 1865. In 1922, the range of the light house was extended to 22 nautical miles when 3rd order dioptric flashing lights were installed. Its present characteristic is a white light flashing every 10 seconds. In 1926, a foghorn was installed in the lighthouse despite a letter of complaint sent to the Mayor of Cape Town in 1923 by Green Point residents. Local Residents call the Green Point Lighthouse "Moaning Minnie".
Cabo da Roca Lighthouse
Cabo da Roca lighthouse began operating in 1772, becoming the third oldest lighthouse along the Portuguese coast.
Malabrigo Point Lighthouse
Malabrigo Point Lighthouse, also known as Faro de Punta Malabrigo (Filipino: "Parola ng Punta Malabrigo"), is a historic lighthouse located about southeast of Manila in Barangay Malabrigo, Lobo, Batangas, Philippines. Completed and lit in 1896, it is one of the oldest working lighthouses in the Philippines as well as the best preserved lighthouse in the country. It serves as a guide for ships passing through the Verde Island Passage going to either Batangas Bay or Sibuyan Sea.
Burnt Island Light
The Burnt Island Light, built in 1821, is the second oldest surviving lighthouse in Maine. It hosts a living history museum run by the state Department of Marine Resources. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Burnt Island Light Station on November 23, 1977.
Heugh lighthouse
The Heugh lighthouse is a navigation light on The Headland in Hartlepool, in north-east England. The current lighthouse dates from 1927; it is owned and operated by PD Ports. It is claimed that its early-Victorian predecessor was the first lighthouse in the world reliably lit by gas.
Portland Head Light
Portland Head Light, is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine. The light station is automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.
Hohe Weg lighthouse
Hohe Weg is an offshore lighthouse in the German Bight, located 25 km northwest of Bremerhaven, Germany. It is the oldest fixed offshore lighthouse of the Weser estuary in the Wadden Sea, having been in operation since 1856.
Marblehead Light (Ohio)
Marblehead Lighthouse in Marblehead, Ohio, United States, is the oldest lighthouse in continuous operation on the United States side of the Great Lakes. It has guided sailors safely along the rocky shores of Marblehead Peninsula since 1822, and is an active aid to navigation.
Lighthouse keeper
The Hook Head Lighthouse, at the eastern entrance to Ireland's Waterford Harbour, is the second oldest operating lighthouse in the world. It was manned continuously from at least 1207 until 1996, when it was finally automated. From the time of its construction in the 13th century, until the mid-17th century, the lighthouse was even home to an early Christian monastery.
Punta Cumplida lighthouse
Punta Cumplida lighthouse () is an active 19th century Spanish lighthouse on the Canary island of La Palma in the municipality of Barlovento. Punta Cumplida is the oldest of the four main lighthouses on La Palma, each one being located near to a different cardinal point of the island. Punta Cumplida marks the north-eastern tip; Fuencaliente the southern point, and the two modern lighthouses at Punta Lava and Arenas Blancas, the eastern and western points respectively.
Fort Gratiot Light
This light is the oldest light still in active service. To find the light, just follow the coast north from Port Huron (just past the bridge) or look on the lighthousesRus site to see all the lights in this corner of the lake. See also the External links below.
Nieuwe Sluis
Nieuwe Sluis is the oldest extant cast iron lighthouse in the Netherlands after the one in Renesse was demolished in 1915. Initially it was yellow, then it received red-white bands, before it was painted black and white. The lens assembly was made by the French company of Barbier, Bénard & Turenne, and includes a copper cupola. Initially it was the first in a series of leading lights. During World War II the lighthouse was deactivated and covered in camouflage paint; it was not reactivated until 1951.
Ogami Lighthouse
Ogami Lighthouse is a lighthouse located on Ogami Island off the coast of Nagasaki Prefecture in southern Japan. It is notably the first photovoltaically powered lighthouse in the world and was instrumental in demonstrating the viability of photovoltaics in 1966.
List of lighthouses in Connecticut
The U.S. state of Connecticut has fourteen active lighthouses in the state, two of which are maintained as private aids; six are standing but inactive. Another was destroyed after its deactivation. The earliest lighthouse in the state was erected in 1760, but that tower, the first New London Harbor Light, was replaced in 1801, and its successor is the oldest surviving light in Connecticut, as well as the tallest. The last officially recognized lighthouse in the state, the Avery Point Light, was constructed in 1943, but was not lit until the following year. The Mystic Seaport Light, constructed in 1966, is a functioning replica housed with a historic Fresnel lens; it is classified as an unofficial and non-navigational aid.
Pointe aux Barques Light
The Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse ranks among the ten oldest lighthouses in Michigan. It is an active lighthouse maintained by the US Coast Guard remotely, located in Lighthouse County Park on Lake Huron near Port Hope, Michigan in Huron County. "Pointe aux Barques" means 'Point of Little Boats', a descriptor of the shallow shoals and reefs that lurk beneath these waves, presenting a hazard to boats as they round Michigan's Thumb.
Old Caloundra Light
Old Caloundra Light, also known as Old Caloundra Head Light or Cape Caloundra Light, is an inactive lighthouse located in Caloundra on the Sunshine Coast in South East Queensland, Australia. It is the oldest surviving building in Caloundra. The lighthouse was active between 1896 and 1968. The tower was relocated twice. In 1970 it was relocated from its original location to Woorim Park in Caloundra, and in 1999 it was returned to its original site on Canberra Terrace near downtown Caloundra, where it stands today.
Punta Carena Lighthouse
Punta Carena Lighthouse () is an active lighthouse, located on the island of Capri on the head of the same name, about southwest of Anacapri. The lighthouse has been active since 1867; its construction began in 1862.
Eastern Point Light
Eastern Point Light is a historic lighthouse on Cape Ann, in northeastern Massachusetts.It is known as the oldest seaport in America. The harbor has supported fishermen, whalers, and traders since 1616.
Ocracoke Light
Various claims have been made about the light, including "the Ocracoke Light is the second oldest operating lighthouse in the nation," from the National Park Service. The original 1795 construction a mile away would qualify only as fifth oldest and the current 1823 tower is about twelfth oldest.
Walney Lighthouse
Walney Lighthouse is a functioning lighthouse located on Walney Island in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria, England. The current building dates to the early 19th-century and is Grade II* listed as well as being the southernmost man-made structure in Cumbria.
Delimara Lighthouse
The Delimara Lighthouse is an active lighthouse on the island of Malta. It is the second lighthouse to be built on the Delimara point near Marsaxlokk at the southern end of the island. The original lighthouse which was built in the mid 19th century still exists alongside the more modern rectangular tower which opened in 1990. This newer two storey building has observation windows, with roof mounted radar and aerials, and is used for coastal traffic control.
Lizard (village)
Lizard Lighthouse, the oldest mainland light in Cornwall, is situated half-a-mile (800 m) south of the village. It has twin towers and was erected in 1752 although there had been a light here since 1619. The Lizard Lifeboat Station, operated by the RNLI, is situated at Kilcobben Cove half-a-mile east of the village.
Landegode Lighthouse
Landegode Lighthouse () is a coastal lighthouse in Bodø Municipality in Nordland county, Norway. It is located on the small island of Eggløysa just north of Landegode, about north of the town of Bodø and about southwest of the village of Kjerringøy.
The lighthouse was built in 1902 and automated in 1988. The lighthouse was listed as a protected site in 1999. The red, round, iron tower is tall and it has two white horizontal stripes painted on the tower. The 1,460,000-candela light can be seen for about . The light sits at an elevation of above sea level. It emits three flashes of white light every 40 seconds. The light is active from dusk to dawn from 4 August until 2 May each year. The light is not active in the summer due to the midnight sun in the region.
Slītere Lighthouse
The lighthouse was built between 1849–1850; however the area historically, since the eleventh century, has been a site of plunderers who lit misleading signal-fires to confuse passing ships, causing them to run aground, once wrecked they would be raided of their cargo. The site of the lighthouse may have been an ancient holy place as old maps refer to the locality as "Temple Mount" ("Domkalns"), and "Church Hill" ("Baznīckalns"). Towards the end of the nineteenth century Baron Osten-Sacken cut-down a number of trees; making this a key-location spot for fishermen in the area; which is why the 24 metre stone lighthouse was built there between 1849–1850. The lighthouse is located in the Slītere National Park, which now maintains the lighthouse and its surroundings. The light has a focal height of 82 metres above sea level, making it the highest light in Latvia until it was deactivated in 1999. The lighthouse is the second oldest in Latvia, the oldest being that of Ovisi which first entered service in 1814.
Whitehead Light
The light station on Whitehead Island was authorized in 1804 by President Thomas Jefferson, and went into service in 1807; it is the third-oldest active light station in the state of Maine. The present tower was built in 1852, its design attributed to Alexander Parris, on the basis of its similarity to the Monhegan Island Light, which is known to be Parris' work. The keeper's house is a replacement, built in 1891, the same year the oilhouse was built. The fog signal was added in 1869-70, a consequence of the area's frequent foggy conditions. The complex originally included covered ways between the major buildings, but these have been removed. The station was automated in 1982, at which time the keeper's house was boarded up.
Louisbourg Lighthouse
Louisbourg Lighthouse is an active Canadian lighthouse in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. The current tower is the fourth in a series of lighthouses that have been built on the site, the earliest was the first lighthouse in Canada.
Old Colombo Lighthouse
Old Colombo Lighthouse or Colombo Fort Clock Tower is a clock tower and was a lighthouse in Colombo. The lighthouse is no longer operational, but the tower remains and functions as a clock tower. It is located at the junction of Chatham Street and Janadhipathi Mawatha (formerly Queens Road) in Colombo fort.
South Point Lighthouse
It is the oldest lighthouse in Barbados. It was brought to Barbados in 1852, one year after being shown at London's Great Exhibition, and reassembled on the southernmost point of the island. Although still listed as active, the lighthouse is now considered to be more of a national landmark and tourist attraction, with its grounds (but not tower) being made open to the public. The lighthouse has been depicted on the reverse of the 25 cent coin of the Barbadian coinage since 1973.
St. Augustine Light
The current lighthouse tower, original first-order Fresnel Lens and the Light Station grounds are owned by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Maritime Museum, Inc., a not-for-profit maritime museum. The museum is open to the public 360 days a year. Admission fees support continued preservation of the lighthouse and five other historic structures. Admissions and museum memberships also fund programs in maritime archaeology, traditional wooden boatbuilding, and maritime education. The non profit mission is to "discover, preserve, present and keep alive the stories of the nation's oldest port as symbolized by our working St. Augustine Lighthouse."
Baishamen Lighthouse
Baishamen Lighthouse (), located on Haidian Island, Haikou, in the province of Hainan, China, is the sixth tallest lighthouse in the world, and the second tallest in China. Rising from a three-storey hexagonal base, the structure is tall. This active lighthouse has a focal plane of and sends out a white flash every six seconds. The triangular, cylindrical tower and base are made entirely of white concrete.
Macquarie Lighthouse
The Macquarie Lighthouse, also known as South Head Upper Light, was the first, and is the longest serving, lighthouse site in Australia. It is located on Dunbar Head, on the Old South Head Road, Vaucluse in the Municipality of Woollahra local government area of New South Wales, Australia. The lighthouse is situated approximately south of South Head near the entrance to Sydney Harbour. There has been a navigational aid in this vicinity since 1791 and a lighthouse near the present site since 1818. The current heritage-listed lighthouse was completed in 1883. The lighthouse and associated buildings were designed by James Barnet and built from 1881 to 1883.
Corran Point Lighthouse
Corran Point Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located at Corran Point on the west side of the Narrows of Loch Linnhe, in Lochaber, Highland, Scotland. It was built in 1860 as a project by Thomas Stevenson and David Stevenson; it is a masonry tower with gallery, lantern and keeper's house which has become private property. The lighthouse emits an isophase light white, red or green according to the directions and was the first lighthouse to be automated in 1898.
Coney Island Light
The lighthouse was first established in 1890. The current tower was first lit in 1920 and is still operational. It was automated in 1989. The foundation material is steel pile and the lighthouse is made out of steel. It is a skeletal white tower with black trim. The original lens was a fourth order Fresnel lens put up in 1890. The most recent resident keeper was Frank Schubert (1915–2003). Schubert was the last civilian lighthouse keeper in the United States. He worked for the United States Coast Guard since 1939, serving at Coney Island since 1960.
Ilha da Moela Lighthouse
Ilha da Moela Lighthouse () is an active lighthouse on the namesake island located from Ponta do Munduba at the entrance of Santos Bay, Brazil. Ilha da Moela Lighthouse is the oldest lighthouse on the State of São Paulo coast and the entire island is a Brazilian Navy base.
Reykjanesviti
Reykjanesviti is Iceland's oldest lighthouse. It serves as a landfall light for Reykjavík and Keflavík.
Nosy Alañaña Light
Nosy Alañaña Light, also known as Île aux Prunes Light (), is an active lighthouse in Île aux Prunes, Toamasina Province, Madagascar. At a height of it is the twenty-fourth tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world, as well as the tallest in Africa. It is located on Île aux Prunes (Isle of Prunes, ), a tiny island about north-northeast of Toamasina.
Fire Island Lighthouse
The current lighthouse is a stone tower that began operation in 1858 to replace the tower originally built in 1826. The United States Coast Guard decommissioned the light in 1974. In 1982 the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society (FILPS) was formed to preserve the lighthouse. FILPS raised over $1.2 million to restore the tower and light. On May 25, 1986 the United States Coast Guard returned the Fire Island Lighthouse to an active aid to navigation. On February 22, 2006, the light became a private aid to navigation. It continues to be on the nautical charts, but is operated and maintained by the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society and not the USCG. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 and a boundary increase for the national historic district occurred in 2010.
Great Lakes Shipwreck Museum
An active navigational light has operated at Whitefish Point since 1848. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) stationed personnel at Whitefish Point until 1971 when the navigational equipment was automated. Whitefish Township was successful in its bid to place the Whitefish Point light, the oldest active light on Lake Superior, on National Register of Historic Places in 1973.
Macquarie Lighthouse
Other structures on the site include stone retaining wall and stone walls to former quarters.As at 4 September 2008, the Macquarie Lighthouse site is of State significance as the location of the longest continuously operating site of a navigational beacon in Australia since 1794 and the site of the first lighthouse to be built in Australia in 1818. The Macquarie Lighthouse is an important Australian historic landmark containing the rare remains of the early Palladian-inspired design by Francis Greenway and Governor Lachlan Macquarie, a rare replica of the original Greenway lighthouse, the oldest lighthouse keeper's quarters in Australia, and a substantial example of a mid-Victorian period NSW lightstation designed by James Barnet. Macquarie Lighthouse Site was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 2 April 1999 having satisfied the following criteria.
Île-Verte Lighthouse
Île-Verte Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Île Verte in Notre-Dame-des-Sept-Douleurs, Quebec, Canada. Completed in 1809, it is the oldest lighthouse on the Saint Lawrence River and the third oldest in Canada. The Lighttower, which is in height.
East Point Light
The East Point Light, known as the Maurice River Light before 1913, is a lighthouse located in Heislerville, New Jersey on the Delaware Bay at the mouth of the Maurice River in Maurice River Township, Cumberland County, New Jersey, United States. The lighthouse was built in 1849 and is the second oldest in New Jersey, with only the Sandy Hook Light, which was built in 1764, being older. The light was inactive from 1941 and was nearly destroyed by fire in 1971. The light was reinstated by the United States Coast Guard in 1980. Exterior restoration was completed in 1999.
Mahabalipuram lighthouse
Mahabalipuram lighthouse is located in Tamil Nadu, India. It is open to tourists since 2011. It was closed in 2001 following a perceived threat from the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam. The first light was commissioned here in 1887. The lighthouse with a circular masonry tower made of natural stone became fully functional in 1904. India's oldest lighthouse, built around 640 AD by Pallava king Mahendra Pallava stands next to this modern structure. The Pallava era lighthouse is a protected monument, maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.
Calcanhar Lighthouse
Calcanhar Lighthouse (), also known as Touros Lighthouse and formerly named Olhos D'Agua, is an active lighthouse in Touros, Rio Grande do Norte, Brazil. At a height of it is the nineteenth tallest "traditional lighthouse" in the world, as well as the tallest in Brazil, and one of the tallest concrete lighthouses in the world.