Google facts
What was the purpose of a lighthouse? What is a lighthouse? It is a tower with a bright
light at the top, located at an important or dangerous place
regarding navigation (travel over water). The two main
purposes of a lighthouse are to serve as a navigational aid and
to warn boats of dangerous areas. It is like a traffic sign on
the sea
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The first known lighthouse
was the Pharos of Alexandria, Egypt. Ptolemy I and his son Ptolemy
II constructed it between 300 and 280 B.C. It stood about 450 feet
high. This lighthouse was one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient
World. It was destroyed in stages by invaders and earthquakes,
being destroyed in the 1300s.
The oldest existing lighthouse in the world
is considered to be La Coruna in Spain that dates from ca. 20 B.C. A
Roman lighthouse is located on the Cliffs of Dover in the UK that
was constructed in 40 A.D.
The first lighthouse
in America was at Boston on Little Brewster Island (1716).
The first keeper was George Worthylake who was drowned, along with
his wife and daughter, when returning to the island in 1718. The
original tower was destroyed by the British and eventually
reconstructed in 1784.
The
oldest existing lighthouse in America (never rebuilt) is
Sandy Hook, NJ (1764), which is still in operation.
Part of the building of the lighthouse
was paid for by the sale of lottery tickets and shipping interest
in New York City paid for the rest.Newest
shoreside Lighthouse is Sullivan’s Island in Charleston,
SC, 1962.
The first Great Lakes
lighthouse were Buffalo (Main) and Erie, PA (1818)First Lighthouse
actually built by the Government of the United States - Cape Henry
Light, Virginia, completed in 1792.
The only
Triangular-shaped lighthouse tower is Sullivan’s Island in
Charleston, SC.
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