Happy #NationalLighthouseDay! On August 7, 1789, Congress approved an act to support lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and piers. To celebrate we wanted to share this ca. 1890 photo of the United States Lighthouse Depot on Staten Island, now the site of the National Lighthouse Museum.
The General Lighthouse Depot, occasionally referred to as the Tompkinsville Lighthouse Depot, was founded in 1862 to serve as the central supply and maintenance station for all lighthouses and lightships in the US Lighthouse Service’s 3rd District. This District naturally included the critical Port of New York. The station constructed and maintained Fresnel lenses, manufactured all kinds of lighthouse structural materials, and stored thousands of gallons of oil in its underground vaults.
Today you can visit the National Lighthouse Museum and learn about the navigational significance and maritime heritage of lighthouses throughout the world.
Image: Unknown Artist, “United States Lighthouse Depot, Staten Island” ca. 1890. Photographic print. Museum Purchase, 2001.031.0002
















