The town of Newport on the central Oregon coast is home to two picturesque lighthouses, at Yaquina Head and Yaquina Bay. Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, a pretty two-story dwelling with an attached square wooden tower, began service in November 1871. It’s believed to be the oldest building in Newport and it’s the only surviving wooden lighthouse built by the federal government in Oregon. A short time later, less than four miles to the north, another lighthouse was built at Yaquina Head. A powerful first-order lens at that location went into service in August 1873. The 93-foot-tall brick tower is Oregon’s tallest lighthouse tower.
Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses, a nonprofit organization formed in 1988, now partners with the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department and the U.S. Bureau of Land Management to support the preservation and interpretation of the Yaquina Head and Yaquina Bay lighthouses. Amy Anderson is the executive director of Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses, and Andrew Smalldon is an education technician for the Yaquina Head Outstanding Natural Area.
Absecon Lighthouse in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is hosting its annual “Evening of Romance & Renewal” on February 11th, which is the Saturday before Valentine’s Day. Jean Muchanic, executive director of Absecon Lighthouse, explains what the event is all about. This episode is co-hosted by Jen Lewis, fundraising and outreach manager for the Point Cabrillo Lightkeepers Association in California.
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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