West Point Lighthouse Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard

Since the lighthouse started operation on November 15, 1881, it has guided countless vessels into Seattle's Elliot Bay, located just south of the point. When the Lake Washington Ship Canal was completed just north of West Point in 1917, the lighthouse also served as a marker to the entrance of this liquid link between Puget Sound and Lake Union and Lake Washington.

Still standing near the lighthouse are two spacious dwellings built for the keepers at the station. One of the first keepers to take up residence on the point was George. F. Fonda, who began his lengthy stay in 1883. During his watch, the Lighthouse Board issued its first standardized lightkeeper's uniform consisting of navy blue trousers, a double-breasted coat with brass buttons, and a billed cap. The uniform was expected to increase the efficiency of the Lighthouse Service and bolster its esprit de corps.

Chief Boatswain's Mate Christian Fritz served at the station during the twentieth century after the Coast Guard became responsible for the lighthouse. The level terrain on the point permitted Fritz's blind wife to freely stroll the station's grounds with the guidance of her Boxer guide dog Cookie.

In 1979, the station was slated for automation, but the wish of Marvin Gerber, the keeper at the time, to have the lighthouse still be manned for its centennial came true when the automation was postponed. On November 15, 1981, Gerber climbed atop the lighthouse and celebrated its centennial by dosing it with a bottle of champagne. Gerber enjoyed his time at the station and even succeeded in adapting his telephone conversations to twenty-seven seconds of talk followed by three seconds of silence to match the signature of the foghorn.

West Point Lighthouse with fog signal Photograph courtesy University of Washington

The first fog signal used at the point was a bell. After mariners found it difficult to hear the Cape Disappointment fog bell above the ocean's surf, that bell was transferred inland to West Point. In 1887, the bell was replaced by a steam whistle, which was in turn upgraded to a Daboll trumpet. The room to the west of the tower housed the engines, which powered the fog signal. The wandering bell eventually found its final home at the Warrior Rock Lighthouse in Oregon.

After all the other lighthouses in the state of Washington had been automated, the West Point Lighthouse finally succumbed to automation in 1985. Although automated, the lighthouse is not alone on the point. The West Point Treatment Plant , capable of processing 133 millions gallons of wastewater per day, was completed east of the lighthouse in 1966. The closest neighbors to the lighthouse are the Coast Guard personnel who reside in the keeper's dwellings.

The West Point Lighthouse is now part of Discovery Park, Seattle's largest city park. Also included in Discovery Park is Fort Lawton, built by the Army on Magnolia Bluff around the turn of the nineteenth century. In late 2002, the West Point Lighthouse was declared surplus by the federal government under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The city of Seattle was awarded ownership of the lighthouse in 2004, and Seattle Parks and Recreations has plans to restore the lighthouse and open it to the public.

Photo Gallery: 1 2 3 4 5

References

1. Umbrella Guide to Washington Lighthouses, Sharlene and Ted Nelson, 1990.
2. Lighthouses of the Pacific, Jim Gibbs, 1986.

The lighthouse is open on a few weekends during the summer. Call (206) 386-4236 for more information.

Another way to view the lighthouse is from the water. Argosy Cruises offers a locks cruise that passes by the West Point Lighthouse.