Heceta Head Lighthouse Will Shine Again

Heceta Head Lighthouse's light will shine again Wednesday, after being off more than three months.

Courtesy: successco.typepad.com

(HECETA HEAD, Ore.) - The repairs have been completed on the Heceta Head Lighthouse's lantern rotating system. Lighthouse repair specialists finished replacing worn out friction rollers and bearings in the carriage wheel assembly that rotates the lantern earlier this week.

The Oregon Parks and Recreation Department turned off the light February 1st when inspectors warned that rotating the lantern without the repairs could have caused further damage to the carriage assembly and the light.

Donations paid the entire $22,000 cost of the overhaul. Lighthouse Lamp Inc., a Florida –based specialty lighthouse conservation firm, did the repair work.

Heceta Head Lighthouse State Scenic Viewpoint visitors make most of the donations to support lighthouse restoration and park improvements. Contributions also are accepted by mail at the Carl Washburne Memorial State Park office, 93111 Highway 101 N, Florence, OR 97439.

When on, the lighthouse's automated beacon can be seen as far as 21 miles offshore. The lantern, which weighs approximately two tons, rotates continuously atop the lighthouse's 56-foot tower about 205 feet above the ocean. The light was first illuminated in 1894. Heceta Head Lighthouse is 13 miles north of Florence. Park staff and volunteers offer daily tours from 11:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., May through September.

Source: Oregon State Parks