Point Loma Light (Old)
From lighthouses
San Diego, California
Built: 1855
Decommissioned: 1891
This 46 foot tall, 1.5 story cape cod style house, with integral light tower and 3rd order Fresnel lens, had a focal plane of 462 feet, the highest of all U.S. lighthouses. However, being so high, it was often shrouded in fog, making it useless for mariners. It was deactivated when a newer tower was built down by the shore. It is located on the summit of Point Loma, which forms the western boundary of San Diego Harbor, protecting the harbor from the Pacific Ocean. During WWII, the lighthouse was painted camouflage green, and used as a signal tower to direct ships into the Harbor. The lighthouse today is part of Cabrillo National Monument and houses a wide variety of lighthouse memorabilia.
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Lighthouses: A Photographic Journey
- Conceived and Developed by David S. Carter
- Photographs by Donald W. Carter
- Text by Diana K. Carter, Donald W. Carter & David S. Carter
Copyright © 1995-2011 David S. Carter, Donald W. Carter, & Diana K. Carter. All rights reserved. Reproduction by any means, physical or electronic, in part or in full, without the express permission of the authors, is strictly prohibited.
This article was last modified on 9/17/2010.
