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The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act (NHLPA) of 2000 was passed in October of that year. This was an important event in preserving our nation’s lighthouse heritage. This law acted as an amendment to the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 which provided the government with a way to dispose of property it owned, while preserving the historic and architectural aspects of that property. The 1966 Act is why we have a National Register of Historic Places and a list of National Historic Landmarks. The new act made it possible for non-profit organizations to participate on an equal footing with local and federal agencies in the process to acquire these properties. This was needed because there were non-profits that had put a lot of time, money, and sweat equity into the preservation of certain lighthouses, and it was felt by some that they should be able to benefit from that when the properties were deemed excess by, in this case, the U.S. Coast Guard. Prior to the NHLPA, historic lighthouses could be transferred to state or local agencies through the National Park Services Historic Surplus Property Program or the Federal Lands to Parks Program. It is important to note that this only applies to lighthouses that are listed as historic. So in some cases, such as Diamond Shoals and Frying Pan Shoals Light Towers on the east coast, the preservation act did not apply to them because they were not designated as historic properties. For these two lights, the Coast Guard simply auctioned them.
The blueprint for the NHLPA was a program that took place in Maine. In 1996 Senator Olympia Snow introduced a bill that authorized the transfer of specific lighthouses in Maine to the Island Institute, a non-government organization. The idea, proposed by Peter Ralston of the Island Institute in Rockland was, in essence, a trial run of what would come later. Many of the provisions; such as the maintenance of the property by the Institute while allowing the Coast Guard access to and responsibility for the light, the use of the property for educational, cultural and recreational purposes, providing for reasonable access to the general public as well as compliance with the historic preservation guidelines were conditions that were also included in the later National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act.
Now that the program has been in effect for a quarter of a century, it might be worth taking a look at the results so far. As of 2022, the NHLPA program has resulted in the transfer of 43 lights to non-profits, the auction of 70 to private citizens, the transfer of 25 to local governments, the transfer of 10 lights that were mostly located in National Parks to other government agencies, and the conveyance of three to state governments. It’s hard to tell what would have happened to some of these lights had this legislation not been passed. Many lighthouses have been restored and opened to the public as a result of the transfers to non-profits as well as from the auctions to private individuals.
This is a challenging time for any lighthouse stewards who must, as a provision of the NHLPA, make a reasonable effort to make the lights available to the public. Lighthouses as tourist attractions bring revenue to state and local communities and provide lighthouse enthusiasts with an opportunity to visit and in many cases climb the beacons. That would seem to be a win/win scenario.
But, given the location of some of these lights, the logistics of restoration, maintenance, and making it accessible can be daunting. The ownership of lighthouses has become a very diverse arena today. There are organizations created specifically for that purpose because of a shared interest by individuals and there are pre-existing groups that incorporate a lighthouse into their established mission (such as a museum or a National Park).
There are individuals who want it as a family retreat and there are other individuals who fix it up and open it to the public. The possibilities are only limited by our imagination. As a result lighthouses have continued to serve in many different roles such as museums, B&Bs, research stations, artist retreat, and as private getaways among others.
The challenge of keeping the lighthouses in good repair is not an inexpensive endeavor so no matter who is the caretaker of the light, they must be prepared to deal with a lot of challenges, not the least of which, is mother nature. Those who decide to take over stewardship must be willing to spend a lot of money, time and effort to save these unique historic treasures. They have been built to endure the onslaught of wind and wave and they have done so, in many cases for over 100 years. They were built to last, but even the strongest buildings need attention and neglect is one thing they cannot endure indefinitely. That makes it important to have caretakers who understand the specific needs of these sentinels that line our shores. Every lighthouse has its own story of how it came to be built and what has happened during its existence. Over the next year we plan to take a look at some of these stories and see how some the lighthouses that have entered the world of the NHLPA have fared over the years since its inception.
This story appeared in the
Jan/Feb 2025 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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