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A Unique Lighthouse: The Two Lives of Point Montara Light Station
Point Montara Lighthouse
Lighthouse Was Moved Across Country
The Point
Montara Lighthouse near San Francisco may not seem extraordinary at first
glance. After all, at only 30 feet tall, it’s much smaller than the nearby
115-foot Pigeon Point Lighthouse. But this diminutive structure can claim a
status unknown to any other lighthouse in the country – it’s the only one that
has been in service on two coasts.
The double life of the Point Montara Lighthouse was unknown until 2008. That’s
the year when Colleen MacNeney and her parents, Bob and Sandra Shanklin stumbled upon a
discovery while researching historic photos. The family found an old photo of a
small lighthouse tower in Yerba Buena with the inscription, “This tower
formerly used at Mayo Beach, 2d District.”
They were puzzled. Mayo Beach is located in Cape Cod, and the 1881-era lighthouse that
once stood in that location was presumably taken down and destroyed after the
lighthouse was decommissioned in 1922. Intrigued, MacNeney started to hunt for
answers. It took an extensive search of the National Archives to discover the
truth: the Mayo Beach tower hadn’t been destroyed at all. It had been moved 3,000
miiles from Massachusetts to Yerba Buena, California and installed at Point
Montara in 1928.
MacNeney found a 1928 note from the acting commissioner of lighthouses that
confirmed the transfer, but discovered no written record to explain why or how
the small lighthouse had been moved. It’s still a mystery.
After the discovery became public,
Jeff Gales, executive director of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, told the L.A.
Times, "The Lighthouse Service was always struggling for money, so the
idea they'd want to save a few bucks and reuse a lighthouse is not a big jump. But
transporting a lighthouse across the U.S. -- that's unusual."
Today, the unique lighthouse with the double life is still doing double duty. The
Coast Guard continues to run the lighthouse as an active navigation aid for
ships sailing these waters, while Hostelling International and California State
Parks run a 50-bed hostel out of the former Coast Guard quarters.
Point Montara Lighthouse Amateur Video
More on the History of a Unique Lighthouse
- Cape Cod Times
Article includes a photo of the old lighthouse as it looked while in service in Cape Cod. - ABC Video on the Point Montara History
News video discusses the discovery of this unique lighthouse's secret life.
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