FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions
Where can I obtain plans for lighthouses?
Where can I obtain historic photos of lighthouses?
What lighthouses are in National Parks?
Where can I stay at a lighthouse?
Where can I find books on lighthouses?
How do I become a lighthouse keeper, i.e., volunteer?
How do I research ancestors who were lighthouse keepers?
Where can I find educational materials about lighthouses?
Can I use a photo
off your web site?
What are the Michigan auto license plates that display a lighthouse and how can I obtain one?
Where can I obtain plans for lighthouses?
Many original lighthouse drawings are part of Record Group 26 at the National Archives. Most are housed outside D.C. at the National Archives II Cartographic Division in College Park, Maryland; the address is 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; phone: 301-713-7040. Some plans for what is now the Fifth U.S. Coast Guard District are housed in the Regional Archives in Philadelphia.
For more recent lighthouse documentation, the Historic American Buildings Survey/Historic American Engineering Record has documented many lighthouses. HABS/HAER drawings kept in the collection at the Library of Congress. The Library of Congress has been digitizing some HABS/HAER documentation.
Where can I obtain historic photos
of lighthouses?
Many historic lighthouse photos are part of Record Group 26 at the National Archives. They are housed outside D.C. at the National Archives II Still Pictures Branch in College Park, Maryland; the address is 8601 Adelphi Road, College Park, MD 20740-6001; phone: 301-713-6660.
The U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office also houses a collection of historic lighthouse images.
What lighthouses are in National Parks?
A listing of lighthouses in the National Park System can be found at the NPS Maritime Parks page.
Where can I stay at a lighthouse?
Lighthouses which are publicly accessible are listed by region and state at "Lighthouses with overnight accommodations."
Where can I find books on lighthouses?
Check our lighthouse
reading list for a starting list of titles.
How do I become a lighthouse keeper,
i.e., volunteer?
Boston Harbor Light Station is the only remaining light station in the United States to have an official keeper. All other stations are automated. Many lighthouses, however, rely on volunteers for everyday management, maintenance, interpretation, etc. Try contacting the lighthouses which interest you directly.
How do I research ancestors who were lighthouse
keepers?
Most surviving lighthouse service records are part of Record Group 26 in the National Archives. Under Record Group 26, Entry 98, "List of Light-House Keepers and Other Employees," is available on microfilm. For more general information on conducting genealogical research at the National Archives check out http://www.nara.gov/genealogy.
Lighthouse employees are also included in the Official Register of Federal Employees for odd years from about 1840 to 1890. (There's a set in the second floor research room in the main branch of the National Archives in Washington, D.C.; the publication and may also be available at some federal depository libraries.) Lighthouse keepers became part of the Federal Civil Service in 1896.
Great Lakes Lighthouse Research, Dayton, Ohio, has compiled a five-book series listing Great Lakes lighthouse keepers and lighthouse tender crews.
If the individual served with the U.S. Coast Guard, you may want to contact the National Personnel Records Center (9700 Page Avenue, Saint Louis, MO 63132). Please be advised that privacy restrictions apply to these records.
Where can I find educational materials
about lighthouses?
The U.S. Coast Guard Historian's Office has posted the "Teacher's Lighthouse Resource for Grades K-4, originally created by the U.S. Lighthouse Society. This is only one of the many resources regarding lighthouses offered at their site.
Can I use a photo from your Web
site?
You may reproduce any photos credited to the National Park Service (NPS) or the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG). These images are in the public domain; however, images from other sources require permission for reuse by their owners. When reproducing NPS or USCG photos, please provide proper credit. Unfortunately, we are not able to loan originals or provide copy prints of any of our images.
What are the Michigan auto license
plates that display a lighthouse and how can I obtain one?
The lighthouse license plate is available from the Secretary of State where you purchase your license plates and tags. In addition to the required auto identification license plate, a collector's plate is also available. Both depict an image of the White Shoal Lighthouse. The funds raised from the sale of the license plates go to the Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program and are used for matching grants to assist in the preservation and restoration of Michigan's historic lighthouses. The Michigan Lighthouse Assistance Program is administered by the State Historic Preservation Office, Michigan Historical Center, Department of History, Arts and Libraries.
Lighthouse Facts
