Information about the lights has been acquired from sources on the internet and from informaton at the various lights. The information has been capsulated into a brief background of each light. Format for the information presented is mine. Photographs are protected under Visual Arts Copyright and reproduction without specific permission from Anthony Musolino is prohibited. All photographs were taken in 2008 and 2009.

Photographing the various lighthouses was interesting and fun. Access to some was difficult because they are located on private or security restricted areas. Therefore, in order to get a photograph of the lighthouse you have to walk miles along the beach to get close enough to get a good picture or use a strong telephoto lens. Some lighthouses are on private property and access is denied.

What is a lighthouse?

Dictionaries define it to be any light tower – other definitions consider only the light towers associated with historic light stations to be lighthouses.

The Coast Guard Terminology for all forms of lights is as follows –an aid to navigation is -

(1) a buoy if it floats on the water and

(2) a beacon if it is fixed in place i.e. a light tower.

Why they are there and why the design?

(1) The blinking lights were designed to warn passing ships of treacherous waters near the shore – each lighthouse has its own distinctive light signals.

(2) Their various colors tell passing ships where they were along the coast.

As an example – Cape Hatteras Lighthouse is painted with black and white spiral bands with a black top and was built in1870 and painted in 1873.

The St. Augustine Lighthouse is also painted with black and white spiral bands – with a bright red top.

The Red Top is the distinctive marking that lets the passing ships know they are on the coast of Florida and not the coast of NC

Story has it that when the Florida light was being commissioned the Florida delegation presented it the same as North Carolina’s Cape Hatteras – North Carolina objected and after lengthy discussion – one of the delegates made the remark “Paint the top red and let us get on with other business.” True or not St. Augustine has a red top and Hatteras a black top but the light tower designs are very much the same.

I like to define a lighthouse as a place where history was and still is. A beacon of light to save sailors from treacherous waters and most of all really neat places to visit and learn the history of the light and what occurred around it.