New Dungeness Lighthouse:

New Dungeness lighthouse was first lit on 1857 and was the second lighthouse established in the Washington territory. The original New Dungeness lighthouse was a 1 ½ story duplex with a tower rising from the roof. The tower stood at 100 feet painted black on the top half and white on the lower section.

Over time, the tower developed structural cracks from the artillery at nearby forts. In 1927, the cracks in the tower were so severe that the lighthouse inspector feared that the tower would topple. It was decided that year that the tower would be lowered to it current height of 67 feet.

With the new tower dimensions, the original 3rd order Fresnel lens was too large for the tower. To save costs, the lantern room from the decommissioned Admiralty Head lighthouse was removed and placed atop the shorter tower. The newly painted tower was relit with a revolving 4th order Fresnel Lens.

Location: Washington, New Dungeness
Photographer: Elinor DeWire