The Browns Point Lighthouse

The Browns Point Lighthouse. . The United States Lighthouse Service hung an acetylene, white light lens lantern from a post on this site December 12, 1887. A light keeper rowed out to Browns Point from Tacoma once a week to change the wick and polish the lantern, The light guided ships and boats coming into Commencement Bay until the two-story wood frame lighthouse was built in 1903. The first light keeper Oscar Brown began his first day of duty on October 26, 1903., The fixed-light lantern sat on a shelf inside the second story of the building. It was pushed outside during the dark hours to be seen from great distances. The fog bell hung above the light and was operated by a clockwork mechanism that required manually winding a crank every 45 minutes., December 1, 1922 a flashing, electric light replaced the lantern. It displayed a group of 3 flashes every 15 seconds. The bell was also adapted to be rung electronically., Today's white, concrete lighthouse replaced the 30-year-old wood structure in 1933 stands 34 feet in height and 38 feet above sea level. A new 1800 candlepower light continued the 3 flash pattern. The air horn gave 3 blasts every 30 seconds which included a 17-second silence between each sequence of blasts., In 1963 the light was boosted to 11,000 candlepower and automated. An automatic bulb changer replaced burned out bulbs. A telephone call from Foss Launch and Tug Company turned on the compressor for the diaphragm foghorn that gave 3 blasts every 30 seconds., During the 1980s and 90s a white 190-millimeter beacon flashed every 5 seconds. The horn gave 2 blasts every 30 seconds when activated via telephone by the Tacoma Fire Department across Commencement Bay., A white, variable, rotating beacon (VRB-25) with a 12 mile range was installed in l997 and flashes every 5 seconds. The foghoren blasts 2 times every 30 secondswhen activated at .8 mile visibility by the VM 1000 fog detector atop the lighthouse. The lighthouse cottage, boathouse, oil house and pump house are on the National Registry of Historic Places., [Captions (counterclockwise from top left)] , . A fixed, white light lantern on a pole guided ships from 1887 until 1903. , . The two story wood lighthouse was built in 1903. , . The 1903 lighthouse with a view of the bell and the lantern shelf. , . The 1933 lighthouse as it was in 1949.