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Historic Lighthouses and Light Stations

Few images are as evocative as a lighthouse standing sentry on a rocky shore, the guardian of mariners and passengers as they navigate the formidable currents, fierce storms, and shifting shoals of America's coastal and inland waterways. Since the establishment of the first lighthouse in America at Boston Harbor in 1716, lighthouses have played a critical role in providing safe passage for all maritime activities. Although their form and appearance vary according to region or the body of water they guard, the lighthouse remains one of the most recognizable images of the maritime world.

Click on a highlighted state on the map or the list below to find historic lighthouses and light stations.

Some of these lighthouses welcome visitors. Please contact a site directly to find out if it is open to the public.

For up to date information about historic lighthouses and light stations in the U.S please visit:

The National Park Service's 1994 Inventory of Historic Light Stations is available online as a PDF document.

 

U.S. & territories map. States with historic lighthouses & light stations are highlighted. Go to a list of Washington's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Oregon's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of California's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Minnesota's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Wisconsin's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Michigan's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Illinois' lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Indiana's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Ohio's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Pennsylvania's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of New York's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Connecticut's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Rhode Island's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Massachusetts' lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Vermont's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of New Hampshire's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Maine's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of New Jersey's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Delaware's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Maryland's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Virginia's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of North Carolina's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of South Carolina's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Georgia's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Alabama's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Florida's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Mississippi's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Louisiana's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Texas' lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Alaska's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Hawaii's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of the Windward Passage's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of Puerto Rico's lighthouses & light stations Go to a list of the U.S. Virgin Islands' lighthouses & light stations

 

 

American Shoal Lighthouse in the Florida Keys
American Shoal Light in the Florida Keys.
 

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