History overview

A coastal timeline of light, trade, and preservation

Four turning points trace how the northern coast’s beacons moved from hazard markers to protected heritage.

  1. 1820s–1860s · First lamps lit

    Harbor entrances gained fixed lantern towers as shipping traffic increased along rocky approaches.

  2. 1870s–1910s · Network expansion

    Steel optics and fog signals linked remote headlands into a continuous warning chain for coastal routes.

  3. 1920s–1970s · Automation era

    Radio beacons and automated mechanisms reduced staffing while many keeper residences entered new civilian use.

  4. 1980s–today · Preservation and access

    Local trusts and historians stabilized surviving towers and opened them through documented archives and guided visits.