1789 (August 7) The first Public Works Act and only the ninth law passed by the First Congress of the United States was the creation of the Lighthouse Establishment.

1791 Portland Head Light Maine was ceded to the United States of America. Already under construction by the State of Massachusetts, it became the first lighthouse completed by the Federal Government.

1891 The first broad contract for the maintenance of lighthouses was made by an Act of Congress (2 Stat. L., 691), which authorized the Secretary of the Treasury to purchase Winslow Lewis' patent for a "reflecting and magnifying lantern" and to contract with said Winslow Lewis for fitting and keeping in repair, any and all lighthouses in the United States or territories thereof."

1818 The first lighthouses on the Great Lakes were established at Buffalo, New York and on Presque Isle at Erie Pennsylvania.

1820 The first fog bell in the United States was installed at West Quoddy Head Light, Maine.

The first lightship in the United States was stationed in Chesapeake Bay.

The Secretary of the Treasury assigned the running of the lighthouse service to the Fifth Auditor of the Treasury.

1832 The first lighthouse on Lake Michigan was placed at the mouth of the Chicago River.

1837 The first lightship on the Great Lakes was stationed at the junction of Lakes Huron and Michigan.

1838 (July 7) The President of the United States under an Act of Congress divided the Atlantic Coast into 6 districts and the Great Lakes coast into two districts.

A "perpetual" fog bell operated by the tide (a float through tidal motion wound up a weight which drove the striking mechanism) was installed at the Whitehead Lighthouse in Maine.

1840 The first official United States Lighthouse Tender came into existence. It was the Revenue Cutter RUSH which was transferred from the U.S. Revenue Cutter Service the to U.S. Lighthouse Establishment. Prior to that the work of supplying lighthouses and buoy work was done under private contract.

1841 The first Fresnel lens in the United States was installed at Navesink Lighthouse, NJ.

1847 The first iron lightship was placed in position to mark the Merrills Shell Bank, Louisiana.

1850 Minots Ledge Light in Massachusetts was finished and lighted. It was the first U.S. Lighthouse to be built directly exposed to the open ocean.

1851 Minots Lighthouse was destoyed in a storm resulting in the loss of lives of the two assistant keepers on duty.

1852 The United States Lighthouse Board was officially formed. The Board consisted of two Naval Officers, two officers of the Engineer Corps, and two civilians. The Secretary of the Treasury served as president of the Board and the law stated that the coast of the United States would be divided into 12 lighthouse districts and the President would assign an army or naval officer as an inspector for each district.

1854 Alcatraz Lighthouse became the first lighthouse on the Pacific coast of the United States.

1855 A cannon was placed at Bonita Point Lighthouse at the entrance to San Francisco Bay making it the first fog signal on the Pacific coast.

1869 The first lighthouses to be equipped with steam whistles as fog horns in regular use were at West Quoddy Head Light and Cape Elizabeth Light in Maine.

The U.S. Lighthouse Service adopted its official flag which was triangular in shape.

1877 Kerosene became the principal illuminant at lighthouses.

1880 By an Act of Congress (21 Stat. L. 259,263) Captains of Lighthouse Tenders were endowed with police powers in matters pertaining to government property and smuggling.

1882 The Secretary of the Navy began a three year effort to gain control of the U.S. Lighthouse Establishment and the U.S. Life Saving Service and merge them into the U.S. Navy. Because of heavy opposition the plan was eventually dropped.

1884 The Lighthouse Board introduced a uniform for male lighthouse keepers as well as for masters, mates and engineers of lightships and tenders and made the wearing of dress and fatigue uniforms mandatory.

1886 The first use of electricity at a United States Lighthouse was in the Statue of Liberty which served as a lighthouse until 1902.

1898 Four lighthouse tenders were transferred to the U.S. Navy for use in the Spanish-American War.

An electric arc lamp was installed in the south tower of New Jersey's Navesink Lighthouse. This became the first primary lighthouse lighted by electricity in the U.S. and the only shore station having its own plant to generate electricity.

1903 By Act of Congress, the Lighthouse Service was transferred from the Treasury Department to the newly created Department of Commerce.

1908 The last sailing lighthouse tender, the Pharos, was taken out of service.

1910 By Act of Congress (36 Stat. L., 534) abolished the Lighthouse Board and created the Bureau of Lighthouses to have complete control of the U.S. Lighthouse Service.

1916 A Naval appropriations act provided for the first time, the right of the President of the United States to mobilize the United States Lighthouse Service under the Department of the Navy in event of war or other national emergency.

1917 The President of the United States ordered that 50 vessels and over 1000 employees of the Lighthouse Service be transferred to the War Department until the duration of the Great War (WWI).

1934 (May 15) The Lightship #117, performing duty on the Nantucket Shoals Station, in a dense fog, was struck by the HMS OLYMPIC (sister ship to the Titanic). The Lightship, cut in half, quickly sank with seven of the crew members losing their lives.

1936 The Lighthouse Service's annual report claimed that the Lighthouse Service was perhaps the most extensively decentralized agency of the Federal Government with less than 1% of the total personnel of about 5000 persons being located at the seat of government.

1939 (July 1) Under President Franklin Roosevelt's Reorganization Plan #11, made effective this date by Public Resolution #20 and approved June 7, 1939 it was ordered that the Bureau of Lighthouses and its functions be transferred, consolidated, and administered by the United States Coast Guard. The order, it claimed was done in the interest of efficiency and economy.

Just six days later (July 7th, 1939) after the President's order, the United States Lighthouse Service closed its doors and went out of existence. All files and equipment were moved from the Commerce Building to the Coast Guard Headquarters Building. And thus ended one of the most fascinating and dedicated government agency's of the United States of America.

When the United States Lighthouse Service was dissolved the total number of employes were 5,355, consisting of 4119 full-time and 1,156 part-time employees, the former including 1,170 light Keepers and Assistant Keepers; 56 Light Attendants; 1195 officers and crews of lightships and tenders; 113 Bureau Officers, engineers, and draftsmen, and district superintendents; 226 clerks, messengers, janitors, and laborers; and 482 field-force employees in construction and repair work.

There were 65 lighthouse tenders, of which 64 were in commission and 1 was out of commission and advertised for sale. There were 43 lightships, which included 9 relief ships and 4 out of commission. Plus, there were 29,606 aids to navigation.

In effect, the United States Coast Guard takeover of the United States Lighthouse Service became the only military takeover of another branch of the government in United States history.

This story appeared in the February 1998 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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