Piedras Blancas Light
From lighthouses
San Simeon, California
Built: 1875
Automated: 1975
This light is located just north of San Simeon Bay, guiding vessels into the bay from the Pacific Ocean. Now 74 foot tall, the 115 foot conical, brick tower was "decapitated" in 1949 when a fierce storm damaged the lantern room. The lens, lantern room, ornate railing, and the beautiful sculpted upper portion of the tower were all removed. It originally held a 1st order Fresnel lens, which is now on display in Cambria, CA, after having been reassembled, cleaned and restored. The lighthouse was transferred from the Coast Guard to the Bureau of Land Management in October of 2001. The BLM has indicated that they are working on plans to completely restore the upper portions of the tower, including replication of the lantern room. It will be worth another trip to the West Coast, if and when that is completed.
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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 5/1/2010.
