The federal government considered putting a lighthouse on Destruction Island, about three miles off the Washington coast, as early as the mid-1800s. As shipping along this part of the coast increased, there were several shipwrecks around Destruction Island in 1888-1889 alone. A lighthouse was built between 1889 and 1891. Here is its story.
Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of more than 20 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is the president and historian for the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org