National Register of Historic Places

San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Light Station

Friday Harbor, San Juan County, Washington
Listed
December 15, 1978
Type
Site
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
78002771

About this property

The Lime Kiln Light is a functioning navigational aid located on Lime Kiln Point overlooking Dead Man's Bay on the western side of San Juan Island, San Juan County, Washington, in the United States. It guides ships through the Haro Straits and is part of Lime Kiln Point State Park, which offers tours during summer months. The Lime Kiln Light was established in 1914 when acetylene lights were placed on Lime Kiln Point, a name derived from the lime kilns built there in the 1860s. It was the last major light established in Washington. The light was updated five years later with a 38-foot (12 m) octagonal concrete tower rising from the fog signal building, a design that matches the Alki Point Light in Seattle. Two keeper's houses and other structures also date from around this time. A fourth-order Fresnel lens was first exhibited from the new tower on June 30, 1919. The Coast Guard automated the Lime Kiln Lighthouse in August 1962, using photoelectric cells to turn the light on at dusk and off during daylight hours. In 1998, the drum lens was replaced with a modern optic, flashing a white light once every 10 seconds. Sitting on the rocky shoreline at a height of 55 feet (17 m), the beacon is visible for 15 nautical miles; 27 kilometres (17 mi). Lime Kiln Point State Park Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission

Location

Friday Harbor, San Juan County, Washington
48.51559, -123.15168

Categories

ENGINEERING
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

San Juan Lime Company-Cowell's
Listed
0.5 mi
San Juan County Courthouse
Industrial
6.3 mi
Roche Harbor
Listed
6.5 mi
San Juan Island National Historic Site
Listed
7.1 mi
American and English Camps, San Juan Island
Modern
7.3 mi

Questions about this property

When was San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Light Station listed on the National Register?

San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Light Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 15, 1978.

What type of historic resource is San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Light Station?

San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Light Station is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Light Station?

The period of significance for San Juan Island, Lime Kiln Light Station is recorded as the industrial era.

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