Point Adams Lighthouse --  Circa: 1875 - Abandoned & Destroyed 1912

All that remains of Point Adams Lighthouse are the stories. Lit February 15, 1875, the lighthouse was only used for 24 years. The demise of the lighthouse was due to the extension of the south jetty along the Columbia River and the establishment Columbia River Lightship in 1892. To add insult to injury the structure was demolished in 1912, because it was deemed a fire hazard!

H. C. Tracy (Charles W.) was the first keeper. Tracy resigned in 1878 was was replaced by his Assistant, Robert M. Lowe. In the early 1880's, Captain J.W. "Joel" Munson became keeper and remained at the lighthouse until its closure in 1899.

The redwood Victorian structure was similar to Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, in Newport, in that it combined the living quarters and tower. This was convenient on those stormy nights with the customary horizontal rain.

The lighthouse was actually located about a mile south of Point Adams, near the present site of Battery Russell in Fort Stevens State Park. The station included a fog signal building. Its fourth order lens originally displayed a red and white flashing light. In 1881, the light characteristic was changed to a fixed red due to the close proximity of the newly completed Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. We can only speculate that the addition of the powerful first order beam also contributed to Point Adams’ early retirement.

If you were lucky enough to have had the good fortune to visit the lighthouse, you may have experienced a warm greeting and a tour from keeper Munson’s wife Clara, who incidentally would become the mayor of Warrenton. Additionally, if you were really lucky and Keeper Munson had some spare time, he might entertain you with a tune on his fiddle. The couple was known to be very outgoing and attended many social functions in the area.

Conversation during a visit would most likely have included the usual topics, life at the station, their children, and what it was like to be a lighthouse keeper. Keeper Munson had served 12 years at Cape Disappointment before his transfer to Point Adams.

If asked, Mrs. Munson would have mentioned the main problem with living at the station was the sand drifts that would mound up near the buildings. It was a constant battle to keep back the sand. They went so far as to construct fencing, but to no avail. Mrs. Munson must have had her hands full trying to keep the interior clean. You would hope the inspector would have had a little compassion for the situation? Even though Mrs. Munson had to battle the sand, she must have considered herself fortunate and the envy of other keeper wives to be living so close to the communities of Warrenton and Hammond. Life at Point Adams was a lot different from other stations where isolation and a lack of supplies made living difficult. Where gardens were a necessity at many stations, there is no mention of a garden at Point Adams, but you would think that with the sand problems it would have been very difficult to maintain.

Captain Robert Gray, the same person who discovered the Columbia River in 1792, named Point Adams.