Old buildings have always had a special appeal. There is something about them that conjures up questions and stories about who might have lived or worked there, what events might have happened, and what the walls would say if they could talk. Old buildings appeal to one's imagination and curiosity.
Growing up in Central Washington state, most of the old - I should say historic - buildings I saw that were in good condition were the ones found in museums or were government offices. Central Washington is farm country. Most of the houses, mainly farmhouses, built between the 1850's and early 1930's, when Washington became a state and settlers began to move in to the area, have been left to decay. There are not a lot of historic houses and buildings for schoolchildren, history lovers, and dreamers to tour outside of the local museum.
Recently, I moved to the East Coast, where old, historic buildings appear to be, well, everywhere. The center of each town is home to several blocks of buildings that appear to date back at least one hundred years. Many buildings have signs in front of them telling the history and significance of the building.
One building in my town with such a sign provokes questions and fanciful stories every time I pass it. The yellow, three-story, brick building was built as an academy. Over the years, the building has served many different purposes.
While I don't know any more about the building than the information on the sign, I can't help making up my own stories about the building. I imagine that it was once a girls boarding school with mischievous youngsters who liked to play tricks on their spectacle-wearing, spinster, school marms. (I probably have a preteen book to thank for that image.) I also see a shy, scared, little first-grader who is huddled with her bunny in the corner, wishing she was at home with her parents. I can visualize girls running about the grounds, laughing and playing games.
As the years progress, I can see the girls being sent home because funds for the school have run out. Their faces are long, as they wave a sad farewell to each other. I imagine the school sitting empty for many years, accumulating dust and cobwebs. Occasionally, local pranksters sneak into the building to look for ghosts or break a window. Finally, the community takes notice of the old, forgotten building. They clean it up, give it several new layers of paint, and open it up as a community center and recreational hangout. Today, it is the historical center for town.
Now, is that what really happened in the old academy? Most likely not. In fact, if one of the city historians knew what I imagine about the building, they would probably be appalled at the tale I conjured up. Never-the-less, it is still fun to imagine what might have happened in the old, historic building. Now, if only the walls could talk.
Lighthouses on Washington's Pacific Coast - Part 5 - Cape Disappointment Lighthouse
Shipwrecks were once a common occurrence for ships in the Pacific who were trying to enter the mouth of the Columbia River. Over 200 ships have wrecked in this area because of the navigational challenges the ocean-river meeting creates. During storms, early ships had trouble judging their distance from land. To help with navigation at this critical and dangerous location, a lighthouse was built on Cape Disappointment, the southwestern most point in Washington State.
During a recent vacation, my family visited the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. The trail to this lighthouse begins at the parking lot of the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Visitors weave their way through the forest about a quarter of a mile until they come to a wide paved road. This road leads from the U.S. Coast Guard base to the Cape Disappointment lighthouse. The Coast Guard mans the lighthouse, scanning for ships in distress.
Captain Robert Gray was the first explorer to enter the mouth of the Columbia River on May 11, 1792. He named the river after his ship Columbia Redivivia. Cape Disappointment was named by Captain John Meares on July 6, 1788, when he tried to seek shelter from a sea storm, but found none.
Navigation was treacherous and dangerous. Trees, signal flags and campfires were used to guide mariners into the Columbia River. A lighthouse was proposed in 1848 and in 1852, funds were laid aside for the project.
The first shipment of supplies was sent by ship. However, the supplies did not reach the cape. On September 18, 1853, the ship carrying the supplies wretched just below the cape. While the crew survived, the supplies did not. It was another two years before construction finally began on Cape Disappointment light.
Construction of the lighthouse was almost complete when it was discovered that the lantern room would not be able to hold the first-order lens designated for the lighthouse. The lighthouse tower had to be disassembled, redesigned, and put back together. The error cost two years time. The lighthouse was finally lit on October 15, 1856.
In 1898, the first-order lens was put in the North Head Lighthouse. A fourth-order lens was put in its place. Electricity came to the lighthouse in 1937. The U.S. Coast Guard talked about closing the lighthouse in 1956. Protests from mariners crossing the Columbia River bar persuaded the Coast Guard to leave it open. The lighthouse was completely automated in 1973.
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For more information about Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, visit...
lighthousefriends.com
funbeach.com
rudyalicelighthouse.net
experiencewa.com
To find out more about shipwrecks in the Cape Disappointment area, visit...
funbeach.com/shipwrecks
Shipwrecks of the Beach
historylink.org
During a recent vacation, my family visited the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse. The trail to this lighthouse begins at the parking lot of the Lewis and Clark Interpretive Center. Visitors weave their way through the forest about a quarter of a mile until they come to a wide paved road. This road leads from the U.S. Coast Guard base to the Cape Disappointment lighthouse. The Coast Guard mans the lighthouse, scanning for ships in distress.
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Navigation was treacherous and dangerous. Trees, signal flags and campfires were used to guide mariners into the Columbia River. A lighthouse was proposed in 1848 and in 1852, funds were laid aside for the project.
The first shipment of supplies was sent by ship. However, the supplies did not reach the cape. On September 18, 1853, the ship carrying the supplies wretched just below the cape. While the crew survived, the supplies did not. It was another two years before construction finally began on Cape Disappointment light.
Construction of the lighthouse was almost complete when it was discovered that the lantern room would not be able to hold the first-order lens designated for the lighthouse. The lighthouse tower had to be disassembled, redesigned, and put back together. The error cost two years time. The lighthouse was finally lit on October 15, 1856.
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| Cape Disappointment Lighthouse |
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For more information about Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, visit...
lighthousefriends.com
funbeach.com
rudyalicelighthouse.net
experiencewa.com
To find out more about shipwrecks in the Cape Disappointment area, visit...
funbeach.com/shipwrecks
Shipwrecks of the Beach
historylink.org
Lighthouses on Washington's Pacific Coast - Part 4 - North Head Lighthouse
Wind and the wide open ocean are two of the greeters that welcomed my family to the North Head Lighthouse during a recent vacation to the area. The North Head Lighthouse is one of two lighthouse located on Cape Disappointment, in the southwestern corner of Washington State. Cape Disappointment is home to two active lighthouses - North Head Lighthouse in the north and Cape Disappointment Lighthouse in the south.
lighthousefriends.com
funbeach.com
rudyalicelighthouse.net
us-lighthouses.com
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| North Head Lighthouse |
The lighthouse was first lit on May 16,1898. It was built in reaction to the cries of mariners who were trying to navigate into the mouth of the Columbia River from the north. They were not able to see the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse located approximately two miles south due to a piece of land jutting out from the coast. Shipwrecks around this area reinforced the mariners message.
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| Insets in the main lighthouse building |
In addition to the lighthouse, outbuilding were built at the lighthouse. Up the hill approximately a quarter of mile, two houses with additional outbuildings, including a barn, were built for the head light keeper and two assistants and their families.
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The original lens was a first-order lens brought to North Head Lighthouse from the Cape Disappointment Lighthouse, which had previously changed lens. In 1936, when electricity was installed in the lighthouse, the lens was replaced with a fourth-order light. The lighthouse was completely automated in 1961.
The wind has been the source of a few interesting stories. During one particularly windy day, a duck was blown into lantern room, chipping the lens. It is also said that one light keepers wife committed suicide because she could not stand the wind. North Head Lighthouse also became the windy place in the United States on January 29, 1921 with speeds clocked at 126 mph before the wind instrument blew away.
North Head Lighthouse has a beautiful view of the ocean, as well as a souvenir shop. Visitors can also rent the old light keepers house.
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| Courtesy of Joel Mattson © 2010 |
The wind has been the source of a few interesting stories. During one particularly windy day, a duck was blown into lantern room, chipping the lens. It is also said that one light keepers wife committed suicide because she could not stand the wind. North Head Lighthouse also became the windy place in the United States on January 29, 1921 with speeds clocked at 126 mph before the wind instrument blew away.
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| A view of the Pacific Ocean through the trees at North Head Lighthouse |
North Head Lighthouse has a beautiful view of the ocean, as well as a souvenir shop. Visitors can also rent the old light keepers house.
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For more information, visit...lighthousefriends.com
funbeach.com
rudyalicelighthouse.net
us-lighthouses.com
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