East Brother Island Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
East Brother Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse
located on East Brother Island
at the tip of Point San Pablo
in Richmond, California
. It marks the entrance to San Pablo Bay
from San Francisco Bay
.
The lighthouse was opened in 1874 and automated in 1969. The former keeper's house began operating as a bed and breakfast
in 1980 and offers guests an expensive and elegant getaway. Day visitors may come to the island for a small fee to hang out and enjoy the vistas, but must provide their own transportation.
Two of the most notable lighthouse keepers were John Stenmark and Willard Miller, who both logged twenty years of service, more than any other keeper. Originally from Sweden, Stenmark joined the lighthouse service at age twenty and distinguished himself for bravery during a boating accident. He was eventually appointed keeper at East Brother in 1894, and he lived at the station with his wife and four children. Miller began his tenure at East Brother in 1922. During his service the light was upgraded to a fixed, fifth-order Fresnel lens, powered by a 500-watt bulb. The steam fog signal was also converted to a compressor-driven diaphone. A serious accident on March 4, 1940 resulted in a fire that destroyed the island's wharf and boathouse along with four boats.
The United States Lighthouse Service
ran the lighthouse operation until 1939, when the Lighthouse Service merged with the United States Coast Guard
. Large families occupied the lighthouse. They had to light the original lens wick and keep it filled with whale oil
. On many foggy nights, they would have to fire up the steam boilers to drive the foghorn
s, hauling coal up the long ramp from the boat. After the lighthouse was automated, the government wanted to tear down the keeper's house and other buildings, but protests from local residents prevented the demolition. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1971. After several years of neglect, a non-profit group, East Brother Light Station, Inc., was formed in 1979 to restore the landmark. Government grants, private donations, and volunteer labor restored the structures on the island, which are now used for the bed-and-breakfast.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located on East Brother Island
Brother Islands
The Brothers lie roughly off Point San Pablo in San Francisco Bay in Richmond, California. The diseno del Rancho de San Pablo names East Brother Island as 'Isla de Pajaros' or 'Bird Island.'The Brothers, along with The Sisters The Brothers (East and West Brother Island) lie roughly off Point...
at the tip of Point San Pablo
Point San Pablo
Point San Pablo is a small historic community isolated at the far end of the Potrero Hills at Point San Pablo in Richmond, California.-Overview:...
in Richmond, California
Richmond, California
Richmond is a city in western Contra Costa County, California, United States. The city was incorporated on August 7, 1905. It is located in the East Bay, part of the San Francisco Bay Area. It is a residential inner suburb of San Francisco, as well as the site of heavy industry, which has been...
. It marks the entrance to San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay
San Pablo Bay is a tidal estuary that forms the northern extension of San Francisco Bay in northern California in the United States. Most of the Bay is shallow; however, there is a deep water channel approximately in mid bay, which allows access to Sacramento, Stockton, Benicia, Martinez, and...
from San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
.
The lighthouse was opened in 1874 and automated in 1969. The former keeper's house began operating as a bed and breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
in 1980 and offers guests an expensive and elegant getaway. Day visitors may come to the island for a small fee to hang out and enjoy the vistas, but must provide their own transportation.
History
Although the U.S. government recognized the need for a light to mark the area, mainland property was not available at a reasonable price. Instead the government turned its attention to the island, which it already owned. Large-scale blasting leveled the island off, and the two-story keeper's house was built with the attached tower and a fog signal building. The lamp was first lit on March 1, 1874.Two of the most notable lighthouse keepers were John Stenmark and Willard Miller, who both logged twenty years of service, more than any other keeper. Originally from Sweden, Stenmark joined the lighthouse service at age twenty and distinguished himself for bravery during a boating accident. He was eventually appointed keeper at East Brother in 1894, and he lived at the station with his wife and four children. Miller began his tenure at East Brother in 1922. During his service the light was upgraded to a fixed, fifth-order Fresnel lens, powered by a 500-watt bulb. The steam fog signal was also converted to a compressor-driven diaphone. A serious accident on March 4, 1940 resulted in a fire that destroyed the island's wharf and boathouse along with four boats.
The United States Lighthouse Service
United States Lighthouse Service
The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the US Federal Government that was responsible for the upkeep and maintenance of all lighthouses in the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 until 1939...
ran the lighthouse operation until 1939, when the Lighthouse Service merged with the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
. Large families occupied the lighthouse. They had to light the original lens wick and keep it filled with whale oil
Whale oil
Whale oil is the oil obtained from the blubber of various species of whales, particularly the three species of right whale and the bowhead whale prior to the modern era, as well as several other species of baleen whale...
. On many foggy nights, they would have to fire up the steam boilers to drive the foghorn
Foghorn
A foghorn or fog signal or fog bell is a device that uses sound to warn vehicles of hazards or boats of the presence of other vehicles in foggy conditions. The term is most often used in relation to marine transport...
s, hauling coal up the long ramp from the boat. After the lighthouse was automated, the government wanted to tear down the keeper's house and other buildings, but protests from local residents prevented the demolition. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1971. After several years of neglect, a non-profit group, East Brother Light Station, Inc., was formed in 1979 to restore the landmark. Government grants, private donations, and volunteer labor restored the structures on the island, which are now used for the bed-and-breakfast.
Keepers
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First Assistants
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