Heceta Head Light

Infobox Lighthouse

---

caption = View of Heceta Head Light showing Heceta Head
location = Heceta Head,Florence, Oregon
coordinates = coord|44.13737|-124.127835|region:US_type:landmark|display=title,inline
yearlit = May 30,1894
automated = 1963
yeardeactivated =
foundation = Natural/emplaced
construction = Brick/stuccoed
shape = Conical attached to workroom
height = 56 ft (17 m)
lens = First order Fresnel lens
focal plan = 205 ft (62.48 m)
range = 21 mi (34 km)
characteristic = Flash white, 10 seconds

Heceta Head Light is a lighthouse located on the Oregon Coast 13 miles (23 km) north of Florence, Oregon, United States. It is located at Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint (a state park) midway up a 205-foot (63 m) tall headland. Built in 1894, the 56-foot (17 m) tall lighthouse shines a beam visible for 21 miles (34 km), making it the strongest light on the Oregon Coast. [ cite web
url = http://www.oregonstateparks.org/park_124.php
title = Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint
publisher = Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
accessdate = 2007-08-23 ]

The light is maintained by the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department, while the assistant lighthouse keepers' house, operated as a bed and breakfast, is maintained by the U.S. Forest Service. The lighthouse is two miles away from Sea Lion Caves.

History and construction

Heceta Head is named after the Spanish explorer Bruno de Heceta, who explored the Pacific Northwest during the late 18th century. Before him, Heceta Head was a spot of frequent fishing and hunting by the Native American tribes that sparsely populated the area. In 1888, white settlers moved into the area and claimed convert|164|acre|0 of the surrounding land. That same year U.S. Lighthouse Service approved the building of the lighthouse, and the government bought convert|19|acre|0 (out of the 164 previously purchased) for the lighthouse structures.cite web
url = http://www.oregonstateparks.org/images/pdf/heceta_lighthouse.pdf
title = Heceta Head Lighthouse
publisher = Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
format = pdf
accessdate = 2008-06-20]

In 1892, a crew of 56 constructed the light. Because of the site's seclusion, building materials were either shipped in if the weather and tide permitted, or brought from Florence by wagon, the latter usually taking four or five hours. Stones were brought from the Clackamas River and bricks came from San Francisco. Completed in August 1893, the entire project cost $80,000 and consisted of:
*The lighthouse;
*Houses for the head lightkeeper, the two assistant lightkeepers and their families;
*A barn; and,
*Two kerosene oil storage buildings — if one caught on fire, there was a secondary source.

The lighthouse and the keepers quarters were placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978 for its architectural and engineering significance. [ cite web
url = http://www.nationalregisterofhistoricplaces.com/OR/Lane/state2.html
title = Oregon listings for Lane County
publisher = National Register of Historic Places
accessdate = 2007-08-23 ] The site originally included several other buildings—farm buildings and the single-family head lighthouse keeper's house, which was demolished in 1940. The remaining keepers house was a duplex that housed the first and second assistant lighthouse keepers and their families. After the light was automated in 1963, the last keepers moved away and the remaining house was leased to Lane Community College in 1970 by the U.S. Forest Service, which had taken over management of the building. The porch of the Queen Anne-style house underwent restoration in 1981. [ cite book
title = Style & Vernacular: A Guide to the Architecture of Lane County, Oregon
publisher = Western Imprints, The Press of the Oregon Historical Society
date = 1983
id = ISBN 0-87595-085-X ]

See also

*List of lighthouses on the Oregon Coast
*List of Oregon state parks

References

External links

* [http://www.hecetalighthouse.com/ Heceta Head Lighthouse Keeper’s House] (official website)
* [http://www.cr.nps.gov/maritime/light/heceta.htm Heceta Head Light entry in National Park Service inventory of historic lighthouses]
* [http://www.discoveroregonlighthouses.com/heceta.html Discover Oregon Lighthouses: Heceta]