On February 1st, 2014, Santa Barbara Maritime Museum honored and celebrated the 158th anniversary of the day the 1st order Fresnel lens at California’s Point Conception Lighthouse was first lit. Festivities included a ceremonial lighting and hand-crank turning of the lens. It was the first time the lens had been “active” since its installation into the museum in 2013. The exhibit also features four new videos about the transfer of the lens, the keepers of the light and shipwrecks along the “Cape Horn of the Pacific.”
The reception also featured acknowledgment of the 100-plus donors who helped make the move of the lens possible. But the job is not over yet, donors are still needed to now MAINTAIN the exhibit! If you would like to help or just want more information on the lens exhibit or the museum itself, go to www.sbmm.org; or call (805) 962-8404; or write to them at 113 Harbor Way, Suite 190, Santa Barbara, CA 93109. Photos by Bill Edwards.
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