The Grays Harbor Lighthouse is celebrating its 115th anniversary with a birthday open house this Sunday, June 30, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Come climb the light, take a virtual tour, visit the new gift shop and Coast Guard watchstander exhibit, and enjoy light refreshments. There is no charge to climb the lighthouse during this anniversary celebration.
The lighthouse is located at 1020 W. Ocean Ave. in Westport and is open daily this summer from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Commissioned on June 30, 1898, the Grays Harbor Lighthouse is a must stop on any visitor’s tour of the South Beach. You can enjoy a great view of the lighthouse from the observation platform on Ocean Avenue, and the lighthouse is open for tours to the top every month of the year with the exception of January and February.
Once at the top, you will enjoy a close-up view of the original Third Order Fresnel lens and spectacular ocean vistas.
Tours are conducted under the auspices of the Historical Society, which is headquartered in the Maritime Museum on Westhaven Drive in the city’s Marina District.
In December, 2003, the U.S. Government granted ownership of the Grays Harbor Light to the Historical Society.
The original light turning mechanism, set in a drum of mercury, was cranked by hand each day to rotate the oil-fueled lamp. Later, when electricity was brought to Chehalis Point, a small motor eliminated the daily cranking chore and a 1,000-watt light bulb replaced the need for lamp oil.
The Fresnel lens stopped rotating in 1989 when the U.S. Coast Guard removed the mercury-filled drum that housed the rotation mechanism. A new small, but very powerful light mounted on the west side of the lighthouse railing now serves to guide mariners with the same signature alternating red and white flashes.
The tower windows are 1/4-inch thick, making their reflection a fire-starting hazard to nearby vegetation if the curtains are not drawn during sunny days.