National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act
Encyclopedia
The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 (NHLPA; Public Law 106-355; 16 U.S.C. 470w-7) is American
legislation creating a process for the transfer of federally-owned lighthouse
s into private hands. It was created as an extension of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
.
, which also took over the manning of lights with keepers. Throughout this period the expense of maintaining and staffing lights was constantly stressed. Automation of lights began early in the twentieth century, and a major push in the early 1960s relieved all but a few lighthouses of their keepers.
Lighthouses are fairly high maintenance structures, being subject to marine air and the erosional effects of wave and ice. Unmanned structures were also found vulnerable to vandalism and theft. Therefore automation of many lights led to their effective demolition. The screw-pile lighthouse
s of the Chesapeake Bay
region were particularly vulnerable due to their wood construction, and only four of these survive out of the several dozen constructed; and of these, only the Thomas Point Shoal Light
stands at its original location, the other three having been moved to museum settings.
The expense of maintaining the lighthouses continued to drag on the coast guard budget. On the other hand, there is much sentimental and historical attachment to the lighthouses. Many surviving lighthouses are listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. While some lighthouses have been transferred to museums, most are impossible to move.
approached the Coast Guard about acquiring the Heron Neck Light
with the intent of restoring the keeper's house, which had been seriously damaged in a fire in 1989. Negotiations dragged on for several years before the institute took charge of the light in 1993; meanwhile, the Coast Guard had announced that it intended to dispose of seven other Maine lighthouses. In 1994 a working group, sponsored by the institute, worked out a program to allow expedited transfers of Maine lighthouses to private concerns, and in 1996 the Maine Lighthouse Program was passed into law by congress. This program was specifically intended to transfer properties to nonprofit groups who would maintain public access to the facilities. In the end twenty-eight light stations were disposed of through this program, which paved the way for the more comprehensive NHLPA.
. It establishes a multiple step process involving the United States Coast Guard
, the General Services Administration
(GSA), and the National Park Service
.
The first step is the determination of the property as "excess to service requirements" by the Coast Guard and its identification as a historic structure. This determination is reported to the GSA and notice is given that application made be made for the structure. In this phase non-profit and/or historical organizations may apply; if application is made and accepted, the lighthouse is simply transferred to the applicant subject to compliance with requirements to maintain the light and make it available to the public. The NPS administers this section of the program.
If no suitable applications are received, GSA may put the structure up for sale at auction.
(The ninth, the Sturgeon Point Light
, was eventually transferred to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in 2005.) The following fall the program was expanded, with nineteen additional lights offered. As of June 2007 74 lighthouses have been offered under the provisions of the act, with disposition as follows:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
legislation creating a process for the transfer of federally-owned lighthouse
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....
s into private hands. It was created as an extension of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
The National Historic Preservation Act is legislation intended to preserve historical and archaeological sites in the United States of America...
.
Background
Maintenance of aids to navigation had been assigned to the federal government from the beginning, first under the Department of the Treasury, and then under the U.S. Lighthouse Board (1852-1910) and its successor, the U.S. Lighthouse Service. In 1939 lighthouses were placed under the authority of the United States Coast GuardUnited 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...
, which also took over the manning of lights with keepers. Throughout this period the expense of maintaining and staffing lights was constantly stressed. Automation of lights began early in the twentieth century, and a major push in the early 1960s relieved all but a few lighthouses of their keepers.
Lighthouses are fairly high maintenance structures, being subject to marine air and the erosional effects of wave and ice. Unmanned structures were also found vulnerable to vandalism and theft. Therefore automation of many lights led to their effective demolition. The screw-pile lighthouse
Screw-pile lighthouse
A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse was built by blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell...
s of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
region were particularly vulnerable due to their wood construction, and only four of these survive out of the several dozen constructed; and of these, only the Thomas Point Shoal Light
Thomas Point Shoal Light
The Thomas Point Shoal Light, also known as Thomas Point Shoal Light Station, is a historic lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay on the east coast of the United States, and the most recognized lighthouse in Maryland. It is the only screw-pile lighthouse in the bay which stands at its original site...
stands at its original location, the other three having been moved to museum settings.
The expense of maintaining the lighthouses continued to drag on the coast guard budget. On the other hand, there is much sentimental and historical attachment to the lighthouses. Many surviving lighthouses are 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...
. While some lighthouses have been transferred to museums, most are impossible to move.
The Maine Lighthouse Program
In the early 1990s, the Island Institute of Rockland, MaineRockland, Maine
Rockland is a city in Knox County, Maine, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,297. It is the county seat of Knox County. The city is a popular tourist destination...
approached the Coast Guard about acquiring the Heron Neck Light
Heron Neck Light
Heron Neck Light is a lighthouse on Green's Island in Vinalhaven, Maine at the south end of Penobscot Bay. It was established in 1854.Heron Neck Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places as Heron Neck Light Station on January 21, 1988, reference number 87002266....
with the intent of restoring the keeper's house, which had been seriously damaged in a fire in 1989. Negotiations dragged on for several years before the institute took charge of the light in 1993; meanwhile, the Coast Guard had announced that it intended to dispose of seven other Maine lighthouses. In 1994 a working group, sponsored by the institute, worked out a program to allow expedited transfers of Maine lighthouses to private concerns, and in 1996 the Maine Lighthouse Program was passed into law by congress. This program was specifically intended to transfer properties to nonprofit groups who would maintain public access to the facilities. In the end twenty-eight light stations were disposed of through this program, which paved the way for the more comprehensive NHLPA.
Provisions of the Act
The NHLPA was enacted in 2000 as an amendment of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966National Historic Preservation Act of 1966
The National Historic Preservation Act is legislation intended to preserve historical and archaeological sites in the United States of America...
. It establishes a multiple step process involving 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...
, the General Services Administration
General Services Administration
The General Services Administration is an independent agency of the United States government, established in 1949 to help manage and support the basic functioning of federal agencies. The GSA supplies products and communications for U.S...
(GSA), and the National Park Service
National Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
.
The first step is the determination of the property as "excess to service requirements" by the Coast Guard and its identification as a historic structure. This determination is reported to the GSA and notice is given that application made be made for the structure. In this phase non-profit and/or historical organizations may apply; if application is made and accepted, the lighthouse is simply transferred to the applicant subject to compliance with requirements to maintain the light and make it available to the public. The NPS administers this section of the program.
If no suitable applications are received, GSA may put the structure up for sale at auction.
History of the program
A pilot program was initiated in the Fall of 2001 involving nine lighthouses, eight of which were transferred according to the provisions of the act:- St. Augustine LightSt. Augustine LightThe St. Augustine Light is an active lighthouse on the north end of Anastasia Island, within the current city limits of St. Augustine, Florida. The tower, built in 1874, is owned by the St. Augustine Lighthouse & Museum, Inc. , a not-for-profit maritime museum and private aid-to-navigation...
- Tybee Island LightTybee Island LightTybee Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Georgia,United States, next to the Savannah River Entrance, on the northeast end of Tybee Island, Georgia.-History:...
- Little River LightLittle River LightLittle River Light is a lighthouse on an island at the mouth of the Little River, in Cutler, Maine.It was first established in 1846. The present structure was built in 1876. It was deactivated in 1975 and relit in 2001....
- Cheboygan River Range Front Light
- Munising Front Range LightMunising Front Range LightThe Munising Front Range Light and its matching Munising Rear Range Light replaced the ineffective Grand Island East Channel Light in 1905. These two lights combine to guide boats from the open waters of Lake Superior down the East Channel next to Grand Island into the harbor of Munising...
- Esopus Meadows Light
- Rondout LightRondout LightRondout Light is a lighthouse on the west side of the Hudson River at Kingston, New York.-Nomenclature:*The official name in the Coast Guard Light List is Rondout Creek Leading Light....
- Currituck Beach LightCurrituck Beach LightThe Currituck Beach Light is a lighthouse located on the Outer Banks in Corolla, North Carolina. An example of Gothic Revival architecture, the Currituck Beach Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places on October 15, 1973.-History:...
(The ninth, the Sturgeon Point Light
Sturgeon Point Light
The Sturgeon Point Light Station is a lighthouse on Lake Huron in Haynes Township, Alcona County, northeastern lower Michigan. Established to ward mariners off a reef that extends 1.5 miles lakeward from Sturgeon Point, it is today regarded as a historic example of a Cape Cod style Great Lakes...
, was eventually transferred to the Michigan Department of Natural Resources in 2005.) The following fall the program was expanded, with nineteen additional lights offered. As of June 2007 74 lighthouses have been offered under the provisions of the act, with disposition as follows:
- 2 removed from program at USCG request
- 25 transferred
- 12 recommended for transfer
- 8 sold by GSA at auction
- 4 awaiting GSA disposal
- 10 in application
- 13 announced for availability in 2007
Further reading
See also
- Grand Haven LightGrand Haven LightThe Grand Haven Breakwater lighthouse is located in the harbor of Grand Haven, Michigan.Grand Haven Lighthouses are two different lighthouses on the south pier of the channel where Grand River comes in to Lake Michigan. A lighthouse was first established there in 1839...
- Granite Island (Michigan)Granite Island (Michigan)Granite Island is a 2½ acre island in Lake Superior located about northwest of Marquette in the Upper Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. Posted upon it is the Granite Island Lighthouse, also known as Granite Island Light Station, and is "one of the oldest surviving lighthouses on Lake...
- Lighthouses in the United StatesLighthouses in the United StatesThis is a list of lighthouses in the United States. The United States has had approximately a thousand lights as well as light towers, range lights, and pier head lights...
- Little Gull Island LightLittle Gull Island LightLittle Gull Island Light is a lighthouse on Little Gull Island, off Fisher's Island, New York in Long Island Sound.-History:The first lighthouse was a high tower established in 1806, which was replaced by the current conical tower and a second order Fresnel lens in 1869. The lighthouse was...
- Manistee Pierhead lightsManistee Pierhead lightsThe Manistee Pierhead lights are a pair of active aids to navigation located on the north and south pier in the harbor of Manistee, Michigan, "Lake Michigan’s Victorian Port City."-History:...
- Minot's Ledge LightMinot's Ledge LightMinot's Ledge Light, officially Minots Ledge Light, is a lighthouse on Minot's Ledge, one mile offshore of the towns of Cohasset and Scituate, Massachusetts, to the southeast of Boston Harbor The current lighthouse is the second on the site, the first having been washed away in a storm after only...
- National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
- Robbins Reef Light
- Round Island Light (Michigan)Round Island Light (Michigan)The Round Island Light, also known as the "Old Round Island Point Lighthouse" is a lighthouse located on the west shore of Round Island in the shipping lanes of the Straits of Mackinac, which connect Lake Michigan and Lake Huron...
- Waugoshance LightWaugoshance LightThe lighthouse at Waugoshance protects boats from a shoal area at the northern end of Lake Michigan. The lighthouse is located in Emmet County, Michigan, United States, and in U.S. Coast Guard District No. 9.-Reason for lighthouse:...