Digest>Archives> Jul/Aug 2015

The Changing North Head Lighthouse

By Timothy Harrison

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North Head Lighthouse showing its iconic red ...
Photo by: Connie Rush

Visitors this year to the 1898 North Head Lighthouse in Ilwaco, Washington, located in the Cape Disappointment State Park, will see a dramatic change in the appearance of the lighthouse. But changes at North Head Lighthouse are nothing new. In fact, over the years many changes have taken place at the lighthouse.

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North Head Lighthouse is all wrapped up this past ...
Photo by: John Harmon

North Head’s signature red lantern roof has been returned to its original black. Although this may not please many lighthouse aficionados, Stephen Wood, an interpretative specialist at the park, says the new color scheme recalls North Head’s glory days from when it was first put in service.

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Stephen Wood examines the light in the newly ...
Photo by: Bill Wagner

The restoration project that was started this past March by the Alabama-based Robinson Iron also replaced most of the rusted iron in the lantern room with longer lasting stainless steel, and then the steel was painted white.

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North Head Lighthouse as it appeared when the ...

This completes the first phase of the $325,000 restoration project. Once the tour season is over in September, the tower itself will undergo restoration and be fully painted. However, the entire restoration project for the light station is expected to take five years.

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North Head Lighthouse from a 1907 photograph. You ...


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The 1st order Fresnel lens from the North Head ...


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The North Head Lighthouse keeper’s house as it ...
Photo by: Ronald J. Foster


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Vintage undated aerial photograph of North Head ...


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After the 4th order lens was removed from the ...
Photo by: Tom Wade


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This vintage linen post card of North Head ...


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Left, this vintage linen post card of North Head ...


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The North Head Lighthouse as it appeared in May ...
Photo by: Bill Wagner


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This old post card shows the North Head ...

This story appeared in the Jul/Aug 2015 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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