National Register of Historic Places

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse

Seaside, Clatsop County, Oregon
Listed
December 9, 1981
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
81000480

About this property

Tillamook Rock Light (known locally as Terrible Tilly or just Tilly) is a deactivated lighthouse on the northern Oregon Coast of the United States. It is located approximately 1.2 miles (1.9 km) offshore from Tillamook Head, and 20 miles (32 km) south of the mouth of the Columbia River near Astoria, situated on less than an acre of basalt rock in the Pacific Ocean. The construction of the lighthouse was commissioned in 1878 by the United States Congress and took more than 500 days to complete. Shortly before the completion of the lighthouse in January 1881, the barque Lupatia was wrecked near the rock during foggy weather and sank, with the loss of all 16 crew members. Only the ship's dog was saved. Tillamook Rock Light was officially lit on January 21, 1881. At the time, it was the most expensive lighthouse to be built on the West Coast. Due to the local erratic weather conditions, and the dangerous commute for both keepers and suppliers, the lighthouse earned the nicknamed "Terrible Tilly" (or "Tillie"). Over the years, storms and the sea have damaged the structure, shattered the lens, and eroded the rock. The light was decommissioned in 1957, and has since been sold several times to private buyers. Since the 1980s it functioned as a columbarium until 1999. Today the lighthouse remains privately owned. Tillamook Rock Light is listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and is part of the Oregon Islands National Wildlife Refuge. The lighthouse is visible from the coastal cities of Seaside and Cannon Beach, as well as from Ecola State Park.

Location

Seaside, Clatsop County, Oregon
45.93697, -124.02032

Categories

COMMERCEMILITARYENGINEERINGARCHITECTURE
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

West, Oswald, Coastal Retreat
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Preston, Charles, House
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5.6 mi
Latourette, Charles, David, House
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7.6 mi

Questions about this property

When was Tillamook Rock Lighthouse listed on the National Register?

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 9, 1981.

What type of historic resource is Tillamook Rock Lighthouse?

Tillamook Rock Lighthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Tillamook Rock Lighthouse?

The period of significance for Tillamook Rock Lighthouse is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Tillamook Rock Lighthouse?

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