Old Point Loma Lighthouse towers above the entrance to San Diego Harbor and is one of the most recognizable landmarks on the west coast. Yet, it has not served its intended purpose for over 130 years. Today, it is a popular spot to take in the incredible views of San Diego and for visitors to learn about the unique history of lighthouses and the keepers who maintained them.
History
For much of human history, the use of navigational aids, to include lighthouses and earlier forms, have been used to steer mariners away from danger and guide them to their intended destination. The first lighthouse established in the United States was the Boston Light in 1716. Today, a circa 1783 lighthouse stands where the original Boston Light once stood on Little Brewster Island.
On the west coast, San Francisco had some of the earliest navigational aids installed. Mere weeks after California was admitted to the Union as the 31st state in 1850, Congress appropriated $90,000 to build lighthouses along the California coast. The first lighthouse on the west coast was on Alcatraz Island and was illuminated on June 1, 1854 (it no longer stands). The very next year, a lighthouse was constructed near the entrance of San Diego Harbor on a rocky peninsula known as “Point Loma” (Loma is defined as a broad-topped hill). This was another of the six original sites designated for a lighthouse to be built.
In April 1854, construction of a lighthouse began on Point Loma. It wasn’t until August 1855 when the crucial (and expensive) lens and lantern finally arrived by ship from Paris, France. The Point Loma lens was a 3rd Order lens, which defines the size and approximate range of the light (there are five orders, with 5th Order being the smallest and 1st Order being the largest). In October 1855, construction of the Point Loma Lighthouse was complete and in the dwindling daylight on November 15, 1855, it was illuminated for the first time.
A small building was constructed right next to the lighthouse, which initially served as a barn for storing supplies (in 1875 it was modified to have two rooms for an assistant lighthouse keeper to reside). The lighthouse keeper and his family stayed inside the lighthouse itself, which has multiple small and unique-shaped rooms that serves as a kitchen, living room, and a few bedrooms. During its time in service, Point Loma Lighthouse had the highest elevation of any lighthouse in America. But if you’ve ever been to San Diego, the area is often blanketed in a low-lying fog, which actually obscured the lighthouse from mariners on occasion.
For over 35 years, Point Loma Lighthouse guided sailors to and from San Diego and was a great way for ships to make landfall and know where they were. Ten men served as keepers of the Point Loma Lighthouse, with most serving for a few years. Robert Decatur Israel served the longest, from June 14, 1871 until January 6, 1892. He was a veteran of the Mexican-American War and previously worked as a blacksmith and saloon keeper. During his time at the lighthouse, his wife Maria served as the assistant keeper and their four children lived there as well.
On March 23, 1891, Point Loma Lighthouse was illuminated for the final time. It was replaced by a new lighthouse on the peninsula, positioned at a much lower elevation. After its deactivation, the lighthouse fell into disrepair for many years. Thankfully, the site was preserved when the area was designated the Cabrillo National Monument and in 1935, the lighthouse was restored to its original condition.
During World War Two, with the threat of attack on the California coast, Point Loma Lighthouse was camouflaged and used by the military as a signal tower to guide ships into the channel. In the 1980s, the lighthouse was again restored and today, serves as a historic landmark and museum.
Interesting Facts
- When the fog was so thick that ships couldn’t see the elevated Point Loma Lighthouse, the lighthouse keeper often came out and fired a shotgun to warn ships
- In 1913, there was discussion about tearing down the lighthouse and placing a statue there dedicated to Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo. Thankfully they never tore it down!
- The tower of the lighthouse (by the lens) is only open to the public on two days out of the year: August 25th (the National Park Service birthday) and November 15th (the anniversary of the lighthouse)
Our Visit & Recommendations
Old Point Loma Lighthouse is located within Cabrillo National Monument on the end of the Point Loma Peninsula in San Diego, CA. This natural location was a perfect spot to put a lighthouse to guide sailors into San Diego Harbor; however, the heavy fog that is common to San Diego made its height an issue- the new Point Loma Lighthouse, which is still in use, is location on the very southern tip of the peninsula at a much lower elevation.
To visit Old Point Loma Lighthouse, you will have to pay the National Park Service (NPS) vehicle or pedestrian entrance fee (since it is located within Cabrillo National Monument). If you already have a NPS annual pass or if you are military, you will not need to pay an entrance fee.
There is plenty of parking available near the Cabrillo National Monument Visitor Center, which also has restrooms, a museum, and gift shop. Of note, the walk up to Old Point Loma Lighthouse is a bit steep and lengthy, so plan accordingly (I recommend good walking/hiking shoes and some water). During your walk to the lighthouse, you will see a series of interpretive signs and displays, which provide a brief history on Point Loma and the lighthouse. This is a perfect opportunity to take a break from the walk and to take in the remarkable views of San Diego, Coronado Island, and the ocean.
Old Point Loma Lighthouse & Museum
As you approach Old Point Loma Lighthouse, you will really be able to appreciate its beautiful architecture. Standing at 46-feet tall, the lighthouse may seem diminutive for its purpose, but the elevation it has atop Point Loma gives it a whopping 462-foot height above the water! As mentioned in the history section, this elevation actually led to the short career of the lighthouse, since heavy low-lying fog obscured the important light (this is why the new Point Loma Lighthouse was built near the waterline at the southern tip of the peninsula).
Today, the original circa 1855 lighthouse and barn/outbuilding still stand. Additionally, a rain catchment is in front of the house. This was used in remote locations, such as Point Loma Lighthouse, where there was not source of fresh water. These catchments were built to collect rain water for the keeper and his family to use; however, Point Loma receives very little rainfall throughout the year and this system was not of much use. Additionally, there is a small garden on site, which is similar to what the lighthouse keeper would’ve grown as a source of fresh vegetables.
The lighthouse is open to the public and there are usually no park rangers up there, so feel free to bring questions back to the Visitor Center to have them answered. Inside the lighthouse, all of the rooms have been furnished to look as it would’ve when keeper Robert Israel and his family lived there in the late 1800s. The first floor has two rooms (one on either side of the central staircase), which were used as a kitchen and a parlor/living room. The second floor, which feels very cramped, has two bedrooms and a small storage space.
After exploring the first and second stories, you take the same winding staircase up to the top. Unfortunately, the stairs to the tower itself is blocked off at the top with a locked gate (you can still get a good view of it from there); however, it is open to the public two days out of the year: August 25th (the National Park Service birthday) and November 15th (the anniversary of the lighthouse).
The original barn next to the lighthouse, which was first built solely for storage and later modified to have two rooms for a lighthouse keeper’s assistant, houses a small museum today. There are a few neat artifacts on display and of course, an actual lighthouse lens in the center of the room (this display really shows the beautiful intricacy of a lens). Additionally, they have a small exhibit about the life of a 19th-century lighthouse keeper.
My favorite part of this museum are the diagrams and information on how lighthouses work and the varying ways they were lit over the years. While wood and coal were the primary sources of fuel for most of history, sperm whale oil and other animal or vegetable oil became commonplace throughout the late 18th-century and into the 19th-century. When Point Loma Lighthouse was established in 1855, it used sperm whale oil as its fuel source (when it was lit in 1955 for the first time since it was deactivated in 1891, it used electricity).
Military History Exhibit
After exploring the lighthouse and museum, feel free to wander down the Bayside Trail, which can be accessed from just outside the lighthouse museum. This trail offers unparalleled views of the Pacific Ocean and the entrance to San Diego Harbor. Additionally, there is the Kelp Forest and Whale Overlook (another short walking trail) or you can drive down to the Sea Cove Parking area and hike the Coast Trail.
If you don’t quite have your history fix at this point, while you are walking back to the parking lot from Old Point Loma Lighthouse, check out the Military History Exhibit. This small exhibit is in a former Army Radio Station, which once served as part of a coastal defense system stretching up and down the west coast.
This radio station was originally built by the Army in 1918 and it was used primarily during WWII to defend San Diego Harbor from enemy attack. The station had three-man teams, who worked constantly in communicating with US ships entering or exiting the channel. Today, a few displays inside the radio station explore the role that the coastal defense system played during WWII and it explains the many defenses and guns that were set up around San Diego during the war.
If you head back outside and take the steps leading above the radio station, you will get perhaps the best view of the Pacific Ocean from Point Loma. Additionally, you can see the stone remnants of a Coastal Artillery Control Station, which was used from 1943 until 1946.
Legacy…Haunted?
Since America’s beginnings, lighthouses have served as a beacon of hope for mariners and Old Point Loma Lighthouse is a remarkable relic of our past. Recently, many movies have been made about lighthouses and their keepers, which shows how fascinated we are with the idea of a lonesome keeper (or keepers), diligently carrying out their work amidst a desolate and unforgiving landscape. Naturally, Old Point Loma Lighthouse has long been believed to be haunted. Visitors have reported hearing footsteps, moaning and ghostly voices, or even extreme changes in temperature. If you find yourself exploring the lighthouse or the grounds alone one day, perhaps you will experience an other-worldly encounter?
