Lighthouses for Kids: History, Science, and Lore with 21 Activities
1759 Smeaton's Eddystone tower lighted 1769 First twin lights in United States established at Plymouth Mass achusetts 1781 First flashing light in a lighthouse installed in Sweden Aimé Argand develops new type of oil lamp about this time 1788 First range lights in United States built at Plum Island Massachusetts 1789 Ninth Act of Congress puts federal government in charge of lighthouses 1792 Lighthouse at Cape Henry Virginia begins operating 1798 Highland Light Massachusetts is first flashing light in United States 1812 Winslow Lewis sells U S govern ment patent for oil lamps 1818 First lighthouse on Great Lakes completed at Buffalo New York 1820 First use of fog bell in United States Stephen Pleasonton takes charge of U S lighthouses First lightship in United States in service on Chesapeake Bay 1822 Augustin Fresnel invents Fresnel lens
1841 First Fresnel lens installed in United States at Navesink New Jer sey 1848 First screw pile lighthouse in United States built in Delaware Bay 1851 First Minot s Ledge Lighthouse in Massachusetts collapses Congress appoints Commission to study state of lighthouses 1852 Stephen Pleasonton loses job Lighthouse Board takes over 1854 First lighthouse on West Coast starts operating on Alcatraz Island California 1855 Construction begins on second lighthouse at Minot s Ledge 1869 First steam powered fog signals used in United States 1877 U S lighthouses begin to use kerosene 1882 Smeaton's Eddystone tower replaced 1887 First pneumatic caisson lighthouse in United States built 1907 Gustaf Dalén invents sun valve 1910 Lighthouse Board dissolved U S Bureau of Lighthouses known as the Lighthouse Service formed 1939 U S Lighthouse Service merges with Coast Guard 1968 Coast Guard starts Lighthouse Automation and Modernization Pro gram LAMP
1983 Last U S lightship removed from SerVice 2000 National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act passed 2005 Hurricane Katrina destroys three lighthouses damages
1 Introduction ave you ever seen a lighthouse If you live along a major coastline or have traveled near water there's a good chance that you have You might have spotted a lighthouse while walking along a beach fishing or sailing Perhaps you have visited a museum about lighthouses or climbed to the top of an old lighthouse tower Even if you have never seen a lighthouse up close you have a good idea what one looks like Pictures of light houses adorn the covers of books magazines greet ing cards even the bags of one brand of potato chips Lighthouses flash at us from movies and TV ads Long before lighthouses were part of summer vacations or company advertising they were essential parts of the landscape At a time when rivers and oceans were the nation's highways lighthouses served as warning signs traffic lights and maps all rolled into one Without lighthouses it was harder for ships to get from one port to another safely With out ships it was difficult or impossible to send goods from one part of the country to another or obtain them from other nations Without trade people could not earn a living In fact the very growth and survival of the United States depended on a large net
