Admiralty Head Light

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Template:Infobox lighthouse

The Admiralty Head Light is a deactivated aid to navigation located on Whidbey Island near Coupeville, Island County, Washington, on the grounds of Fort Casey State Park.<ref name=inventory/><ref name=wasp/> The restored lighthouse overlooks Admiralty Inlet. It was the companion to the Point Wilson Light, which sits four miles away on Admiralty Inlet's western shore.<ref name=friends/>

History

Two lighthouses have been built on Admiralty Head. Only the second remains. Admiralty Head, the east entrance point of Admiralty Inlet, is the southeast extremity of a succession of bluffs extending northward along the western shore of Whidbey Island to Point Partridge, where the bluffs attain their highest elevation.

Original lighthouse

In 1858, the United States purchased Template:Convert on the headland for $400. The original lighthouse was a wooden, two-story house with tower projecting from the gable. It was completed in 1861.<ref name="hist"/> It had a fourth order Fresnel lens, which was visible at Template:Convert.<ref name=uscg/> In 1890, construction of Fort Casey forced the relocation of the lighthouse to a spot close to the site of the present lighthouse. It was demolished in 1928.<ref name=friends/>

Present lighthouse

A second, Template:Convert lighthouse, constructed of brick and stucco, was built in 1903. The design by Carl Leick incorporated thick walls meant to withstand earthquakes<ref name="hist" /> and the concussion of Fort Casey's guns.<ref name=histlink/> The lighthouse was deactivated in 1922, and the lantern moved to the New Dungeness Lighthouse in 1927. During its later occupancy by the Army, the lighthouse was used as a training facility for the K-9 dog program.<ref name=friends/> In 1990, the U.S. Postal Service issued a 25-cent stamp featuring the Admiralty Head Light.<ref name=smithsonian/>

Restoration

The lighthouse has been restored by Washington State Parks and is sponsored by the Lighthouse Environmental Program (LEP), a collaborative function between Washington State University's Extension Office and local environmental programs.<ref name="hist" /> In 2012, an historically accurate reconstruction of the lantern house was installed atop the tower. The work was done by student volunteers from three Whidbey Island high schools.<ref name=wasp/><ref name=unc/>