Isles of Shoals Lighthouse

Year Built

1790

Cost

$5000

Type

Conical tower

Height

58 feet

Location

White Island, Isles of Shoals

Automated Year

1987

First Lit

1865

Lens Type

Second-order Fresnel (1855); DCB-224 (1986); VRB-25 (circa 2000); VLB-44 (2008)

Fog Signal

Horn: 1 every 30 sec, continuously

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White with black lantern

Last Keeper - Date

Richard Bennett (1985 – 1986)

Description

Brick tower with cast iron lantern, keeper's house, covered walkway, two outbuildings.

Brief History

•  The first lighthouse and accompanying dwelling on the Isles of Shoals were built of rubblestone in 1820.
•  In 1841, Winslow Lewis outfitted White Island Lighthouse with an updated lantern and lighting apparatus at a cost of $3,600.
•  Mineral oil replaced lard oil as the illuminant for the light in 1883, and in 1892, a brick oil house was built to store this more volatile fuel.
•  The Coast Guard removed the 1878 duplex in the early 1950s and constructed a modern residence on the site of the original dwelling.
•  In 1993, White Island and a couple other islands in the group were transferred to the New Hampshire State Parks system.