Old Yaquina Bay Lighthouse - Newport, Oregon
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Volcanoguy
N 44° 37.449 W 124° 03.785
10T E 415666 N 4941749
The historic Old Yaquina Bay Lighthouse at Yaquina Bay State Park in Newport, Oregon.
Waymark Code: WMCZ4N
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 10/28/2011
Views: 14
The Old Yaquina Bay Lighthouse is the second oldest (oldest is Cape Blanco Lighthouse, 1870) surviving lighthouse on the Oregon Coast. The Lighthouse Reservation consisted of 36 acres which was purchased from the Baldwin family (the first white settlers on Yaquina Bay) by the U.S. Government on April 28, 1871 for “$500 U.S. Gold Coin.” The Old Yaquina Bay Lighthouse was constructed between May and October, 1871, as a harbor entrance light. It was lighted in November 1871 with a whale oil lamp and a Fresnel lens of the 5th order.
The building is a two-story frame structure on a brick basement with a gable roof. The square light tower rises one story above the main building and is contained within the plan of the house. The building measures approximately 34 ft by 25 ft. There is a central stair and hall with five rooms on main floor and four rooms on the second floor.
In August 1873 the Yaquina Head Lighthouse was completed three miles to the north and the Yaquina Bay Light was extinguished on October 1, 1874. The light was never reactivated but the liighthouse and reservation were maintained through 1885. Beginning in 1888, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers was granted use of the old lighthouse for the duration of harbor improvement projects. In 1906, the Yaquina Bay Life Saving Service was granted use of the building as crew quarters and a lookout which continued until 1933 when the U.S. Coast Guard established quarters elsewhere in Newport. In 1834 the property was released by the federal government and was acquired by the State for highway right of way and park purposes. The building was scheduled for demolition in 1946, but was opposed by local citizens who formed the Lincoln County Historical Society in 1948. The building was operated as a museum for 1956 to 1974 when it was closed and major renovation work was undertaken. The building was placed on the National Register on May 1, 1974. Since restoration the Lighthouse has continued to be open to the public and is operated by volunteers who also managed to persuade the Coast Guard to allow an electric light, visible from five miles out to sea, to be lit on Dec. 16, 1996.
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