The Grays Harbor Lighthouse was dedicated on June 30, 1898. Standing 107 feet tall, it is the tallest lighthouse in Washington, and the third tallest on the West Coast. The base of the lighthouse rests on a 12-foot-thick foundation of sandstone. The lighthouse walls, which are four feet thick at the base, are made of brick with a coating of cement on the exterior. 135 metal stairs bolted to the wall lead to the lantern room.
In 1898, the lighthouse stood just 400 feet from high tide. Massive amounts of accretion, due in large part to the jetty system at the entrance to Grays Harbor, have since built up, and the lighthouse currently stands approximately 3000 feet from high tide. A fog signal has long been associated with the light station. The first fog signal building, built between the sea and the lighthouse, went into operation in March 1899. The signal consisted of two steam whistle trumpets pointing seaward. To produce the necessary steam, a windmill pumped water to the building where a coal fire converted the water to steam. 200 pounds of coal were consumed to produce the steam needed for just one hour of fog.
Today, an automatic fog signal is located at the end of the south jetty in Westhaven State Park. In August 1992, the Fresnel lens was turned off. A smaller light, was mounted to the balcony. Amazingly, the new light operates on a 35 watt bulb and can been seen 19 miles with the white sector, 17 on the red sector. The lantern room still holds the original Fresnel lens.
Building Craftsmen: Members of the Lighthouse Club
Light dedication: Planned for September 29, 2013
GPS: 34º 24′ 1.01″ N – 114º 16″ 21.64″ W
Beacon: Green – Flash: 20 times per minute.
Location: Whipple Bay