Lighthouses are some of the oldest structures in many parts of the country. Modern navigation methods supersede much of their traditional role. But it's important to keep them around, both as a stand-by in their traditional function, and also as historically significant buildings.
Menagerie Island Lighthouse, Isle Royale, Lake Superior, 7/31/04
attribute: Charles W. Bash
Above is the Menagerie Island lighthouse, remotely located on a small island off of Isle Royale in Lake Superior, it was built 1875 to guide ships carrying copper ore from now long-abandoned mines on Isle Royale. Once a manned station, it was active only during the navigation season, approximately May to November. This light station has been automated since 1913.
Lighthouse construction varied according to the needs of commerce. As the Duluth area became more important as a Lake Superior port, breakwaters were built to protect shipping and dock areas from the severe weather that could arise on the lake.
Wisconsin Point Light, photo 7/8/2007, attribute: Charles W. Bash
Wisconsin Point Light was built on the southern pier, in Wisconsin, of the Duluth/Superior port area. From its completion in 1913 to 1970 it was a manned station. It has an unusual oval shape and has recently been restored to good condition. The light is visible for 16 miles out into the lake.
San Francisco Bay has been one of the great harbors of the nation ever since California became a state in 1850. All traffic to the ports of this area passes through the narrow Golden Gate, often obscured by the famous fog of San Francisco. Light stations were important and a number of important ones were built in the area.
Point Bonita lighthouse, 5/28/12, attribute: Don DeBold
Point Bonita Lighthouse, in Marin County, is on the northern side of the channel leading to the Golden Gate. While it might seem that the higher the lighthouse, the better the visibility, in fact this does not prove to be true. The original Point Bonita Lighthouse (built in 1856) was further east from the present structure, but it was too often not visible on account of low fog. In 1877, a new lighthouse was built out on a knife-edge ridge of rock, and was made accessible only by construction first of a tunnel, and then of a (recently replaced) suspension bridge. This location is one of the most spectacular of all lighthouses.
Some lighthouses are so inaccessible that very few people will ever visit them. One of the most spectacular of these is the Evangelista Islands Lighthouse, built on a small rocky island off the coast of Chile in 1896. See here for a good view of the environment of this unique light station.
Other lighthouses are endangered, either from neglect following abandonment, or through erosion by the sea.
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, 1/16/11, attribute: Jeremy Taylor
Cape Hatteras Lighthouse, probably the most famous in the country, was built on one of the long sand barrier islands of North Carolina. These islands move about as the sand shifts, and for many years it was thought this would eventually claim the lighthouse, as the sea came to within 120 feet of the lighthouse which effectively then stood right on the beach. In 1999 however in a feat of practical engineering, the lighthouse was moved inland about 2,900 feet to a point about 1,500 feet from the sea.
But many other structures are threatened. One of the saddest cases is the once-magnficient 14 Mile Point Light on the Lake Superior coast of Michigan. Other endangered lighthouses are enrolled on the Lighthouse Doomsday List.
Outer Island Light, 7/8/07, attribute Charles W. Bash
Outer Island Lighthouse, in Wisconsin's Apostle Islands (on Lake Superior) is endangered by erosion. According to Wikipedia a lot of erosion control work was done in 2004-2005, but lack of funds prevented full completion of the project. In the image above, from 2007, you can see was appear to be fresh plantings on the cliff face, apparently part of the project.
Bodie Island Light, 11/21/2011, attribute: Jim Liestman.
Some lighthouses have been brought back. Bodie Island Light, which like Cape Hatteras Light is also on North Carolina's outer banks, was in very poor condition due to deterioration of its metal components. The lantern was removed and visitors were barred from climbing the stairway. Following a rehabilitation effort, the light was relit in 2013 and visitors were again permitted to climb to the lantern house. The stunning photograph above, taken in 2011, shows the light when it was out of service.
This being Daily Kos, I'll add a political or social consideration here. Our country doesn't have any tourist-trapping castles like they do in Europe (unless you count the ones built by The Mouse Who Shall Remain Unnamed for Reasons of International Copyright Law.). But we do have a whole bunch of these lighthouses, each one of which should be surrounded by B&Bs (some even ARE B&Bs), salt-water taffy stands, and all those wonderful job-creating businesses.
Plus fixing them up creates jobs. Why don't we pry some of the money out of the banks (e.g. TARP) or the military contractors and spend some on these lighthouses? This could be combined with job training and maybe other infrastructure projects. (Uh-oh. Did I say infrastructure. BORING! Dweeb Alert!)