Point Fermin California
Harbour Lights #342

During the gold rush period of the 1850s, many ships heading north along the California coastline never made it to their destination but had their hopes and hulls smashed to pieces on dark and lonely rocks.

In response to the serious lack of navigational aids along this coastline, Congress approved a series of lighthouses to be built between San Diego and San Francisco starting in 1852. Point Fermin, completed in 1870, is a stunning example of the Victorian architecture of the era. Built from redwood, fir and brick, it is the last surviving Southern California wooden lighthouse of the period to remain intact. The light was extinguished during World War II, and was never returned to service due to the alterations made during the war.

The lighthouse received a loving restoration in 2003, returning it to its splendor of 1874. The most noticeable change to the exterior was the return of the shutters at each window, which had been missing since the 1920s. The lantern room was also replaced with a proper iron one.