A Bright Beacon: Pigeon Point Light Station

Pigeon Point Light Station.

Pigeon Point Lighthouse's tall, double-walled tower supports a huge four-ton lens. The first-order, or largest, Fresnel lens has 1,008 glass elements mounted in a brass framework. This lens system was perfected by Augustin Fresnel, pronounced fra-NELL, in 1822., Manufactured in France, the lens focuses light from a flame or bulb into 24 separate beams that radiate outward, up to 24 miles on a clear night. As the powerful clockwork mechanism slowly rotates the lens, mariners see a white flash every 10 seconds.

"Steadfast, serene, immovable, the same, , Year after year, through all the silent night , Burns on forevermore, that quenchless flame, , Shines on that inextinguishable light!" , From The Lighthouse, a poem by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

(photo captions) , . The 24 bulls-eye lenses and 984 prisms create 24 beams of light. , . The spiral staircase includes 136 steps forged in San Francisco. , . The keepers, or "wickies," maintained the flame and wound the clockwork mechanism of the lens., Fresnel Facts , Lens , . First lit November 15, 1872 , . First-order Fresnel , . 984 prisms , . 24 bullseyes , . 8,000 pounds , . Made in Paris, France , . One white flash every 10 seconds , . Visible 20-24 miles at sea , . Clockwork mechanism rotated lens, Lantern Illuminant , . 1872-1880s Lard Oil , . 1880s-1920s Kerosene , . 1920s-1970s Electricity , . 1970s to present automated with exterior beacon, Tower , . 115 feet tall on a 50 foot bluff , . 500,000 locally made bricks , . 136 wrought iron steps, Operations , . 3-4 keepers known as "wickies" , . 4 hour duty shifts . This historical marker is Near Pescadero in San Mateo County California