Archive photos
Digitized coastal images with dates, vantage notes, and structural details for visual comparison across eras.
Northern Coast Lighthouses Archive
Where beacon history meets wind, stone, and memory.
Explore archive photography, keeper voices, and preserved towers along the northern coast.
- ARCHIVE PHOTOS
- KEEPER STORIES
- PRESERVED TOWERS
Introduction
What this archive holds
Northern Coast Lighthouses Archive brings together documented imagery, lived keeper accounts, and preserved-site guidance so visitors can follow beacon history through objects, voices, and places.
Explore the archiveKeeper stories
Narrative excerpts from journals and oral histories that reveal routine, weather, and watchkeeping life.
Preserved towers
Location-led references to surviving towers, with access context and conservation status for visit planning.
Chronology
Northern Coast Lighthouse Timeline
A quick historical orientation before exploring full stories, photographs, and tower records.
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1824
Headland Survey Beacons
Coastal authorities chart major shoals and mark first formal beacon points.
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1857
First Stone Tower Lit
The coast’s first permanent masonry lighthouse begins year-round operation.
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1910s
Keeper Logbook Era
Detailed journals capture storms, supply runs, and rescue watch routines.
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1978
Preservation Trusts Form
Regional groups begin structured restoration of retired lighthouse stations.
Geography of Preservation
Where the archive meets the coast
Preserved towers trace the northern shoreline in a connected chain of headlands, harbors, and island approaches—linking each photograph and keeper account to a place still visible on the horizon.
- North Head promontory and approach lights
- Harbor breakwater beacons of Greyhaven Bay
- Outer skerry towers along the Coldwater Reach
North Head
Greyhaven Bay
Coldwater Reach