Scheveningen, Netherlands

A contemporary of the Chesapeake's New Cape Henry Lighthouse invigilates the coast of Holland. They are both cast iron towers, but the Dutch one outscores the American one on the prism spectrum. It has 12 sides. Virginia's has only eight. [1996]

Virginia Beach, Virginia, USA

Most cities don't even have one lighthouse. Virginia Beach has two. They are located on Cape Henry, which guards the southern entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The Old Lighthouse was the first public works project of the newly formed U.S. government. The New Cape Henry Lighthouse is really not so new. It is approaching 150 years old. [1984]

New York, New York, USA

February is all about the number two, and 2/22/22 is a palindrome too (a 5-digit palindrome)! On this day in 1877, the U.S. Congress accepted Lady Liberty as a gift from France, but she didn't make her appearance in New York Harbor until 1885, when (because of the original torch) she was classified as a lighthouse. Be sure to see yesterday's post. [2020]

Larnaca, Cyprus

Breakwater lights guide mariners into Larnaca's fishing harbor. If your walk brings you harborside after the boats come in, expect the freshest fish in the Mediterranean at the fish market. On the other hand, you and your rod could keep walking to the end of the breakwater, where you could reel 'em in yourself. [2004]

Cardiff, Wales, UK

Cardiff's Mermaid Quay was developed over two decades ago. To the new waterfront was brought the Helwick Sands lightship, where it became a "floating Christian centre." Light towers have long been a favorite symbol of Christianity. Alas, the ship has since been moved to a harbor in England. [2015]

Portsmouth, England,UK

Portsmouth's Southsea Castle is now a tourist attraction. Fortunately, the fortification has a lieutenant in charge of marketing: a lighthouse (dressed like a jailbird). These are two landscape features that most people will go out of their way to visit: castles and lighthouses. What will you go out of your way to visit? [2011]

Fenwick Island, Delaware, USA

At the foot of the Fenwick Island lighthouse stands the original stone marker that divided Maryland (see the Calvert coast-of-arms?) from Pennsylvania (the Penn coat-of-arms is on other side). Confused yet? (1) Why Pennsylvania? What did the Penns have to do with Delaware? (2) Why trans-peninsular? Shouldn't it be trans-insular? [2021]

Mystic, Connecticut, USA

Mystic Seaport is one of the country's renown living history museums. Its stock in trade are historical vessels, but it also built a lighthouse, presumably to make sure the ships didn't run aground on the Mystic River. Built in the 1960s, the lighthouse is a replica of the harbor light on Nantucket Island. [2018]

Auckland, New Zealand

It is not everyday that you see a lighthouse like the one atop Bean Rock in Auckland Harbor. It's so small, so alone, and looks so vulnerable atop its pilings. The house itself is built of wood and was the residence of a lighthouse keeper until 1912. What a job! [2006]

Belize City, Belize

The Fort George Lighthouse guards the entrance to Belize's harbor. The tower's image became attached to the country's identity and has become an iconic part of the broader nation-building landscape. More than anything else, it is associated with Belikan, the beer of Belize, which has named one of its lagers "Lighthouse." Perfect for a light beer! [2015] 

San Diego, California, USA

♫ These Are a Few of My Favorite Things ♫ ~ Lighthouses: Tourism waves ebb and flow, but lighthouses are always popular. Why are they so psychologically appealing? Why are they so sought after by photographers? Why are they reproduced so much in popular culture? A visit to the Point Loma lighthouse might provide some of the answers. [2020]

Cape May, New Jersey, USA

The Cape-to-Cape ferry across the mouth of the Delaware River connects Cape Henlopen, Delaware, with Cape May, New Jersey, where an historic light tower and beautiful broad beaches beckon the year around. [2020]

Lewes, Delaware, USA

Everyone who takes the Cape-to-Cape ferry across the mouth of the Delaware River gets to see Lewes's Harbor of Refuge Light. Wouldn't we all like to find a beacon of hope guiding us into our own personal harbor of refuge right now? Can you name the two capes connected by the ferry? [2020]

Narragansett, Rhode Island, USA

By virtue of its nickname, the Ocean State, Rhode Island has an enviable caboodle of lighthouses. Some, like Point Judith Light, are on extremities of the mainland; others are on islands; and still others are on the rivers that drain into the Narragansett Bay. Let's all give thanks for America's lighthouses. [2019]

Jamestown, Rhode Island, USA

 

The Beavertail Lighthouse and the Absecon Lighthouse were first illuminated within months of each other, but one conformed to the common cylindrical shape and the other was built as a rectangular prism. Which one represents the better design? To answer that question, compare air flow (as in storm-force winds) around each shape. [2019]

Atlantic City, New Jersey, USA

 

All cities look for a way to put their signatures on the landscape. A wave-like script helps if you are on the coast, but the key to getting recognition is the ability to play up anything unique. Atlantic City's tall-and-proud Absecon Lighthouse fits the bill perfectly. [2016]

Biloxi, Mississippi, USA

 

Biloxi calls its historic lighthouse a "post-Katrina symbol of the city's resolve and resilience." It has survived since it was built in 1848, most recently standing up to the storm surge and pounding waves of Hurricane Katrina in 2005. What a difference 15 years makes! [2020]

San Diego, California, USA

Just downslope from the Point Loma Lighthouse (see it?) lies the backbone of a gray whale. It is a reminder of one of the planet's great migrations: the offshore journeys of blue whales from summer feeding grounds in the Arctic to winter mating grounds off the coast of Baja California. Actually, the spine is just a replica. [2020]

Ocean City, Maryland, USA

After 75 million years, the velociraptors have returned to say Happy Birthday to anyone born today. They will also want to make the acquaintance of the chickens in your backyard. Why? Because velociraptors are the ancestors of all the world's birds. Like chickens, velociraptors had feathers, but they couldn't fly to the top of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse. [2019]

Ocracoke Island, North Carolina, USA

The keepers' quarters still stand next to the historic Ocracoke Light, but there are no keepers. Only one lighthouse in the entire country continues to be staffed by a resident human being. All others are run by the Coast Guard from control rooms that are miles away. [2019]