The yellow-brick foghorn building, the pier, and the beacon tower to the west of the lighthouse represent the final years of the lighthouse's operation. The U.S. Coast Guard took over operation of the lighthouse in 1939, just a few years after the foghorn and the pier were built.
The foghorn building, pictured to the left of the lighthouse in this 1945 photograph, was installed in 1934. 30-Mile Point's foghorn warned ships away from the shore on foggy nights when the light from the tower was not visible. Photograph courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office.When 30-Mile Point Lighthouse was built, most of its supplies were delivered by boat. In 1903, a pine timber dock was constructed to make supplying the lighthouse easier. A cement pier was built in 1935 to help protect the shore from erosion, which has been a serious problem at this lighthouse ever since it was built. In 1954, the Coast Guard installed large boulders along the shore for additional erosion protection.
30-Mile Point's foghorn operated on compressed air, producing the classic foghorn sound eeeee-ohhhh at regular intervals. Pictured in the foreground is the foghorn's electric air compressor. Behind it is an electric generator, and in the far background is a combination unit that generated auxiliary electric power for the foghorn and had a back up air compressor.
The Coast Guard installed an automated light beacon atop this metal tower when it decommissioned the lighthouse in 1958.
In 1998, the Friends of 30-Mile Point Lighthouse purchased this automated beacon, and with the Coast Guard's assistance, installed it in the lighthouse tower. The new beacon simulates the historic character of the lighthouse at night and has eliminated the need for the steel beacon tower. The Friends of 30-Mile Point Lighthouse are now responsible for the beacon's operation and maintenance.
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