Oregon Coast Real Estate Knowledge Center: Coast Photo Gallery featuring Online Image Tours of Key Points of Interest found along the Oregon Coast.
Coast Photo Gallery - Central Oregon Coast Lighthouses
Yaquina Head Lighthouse
When the Yaquina Head Lighthouse was completed in 1873 it may have been the tallest structure at that date in the state of Oregon. The Tower itself took almost a year to complete. For the construction of the tower and the attached buildings, approximately 370,000 bricks were used including an estimated 350,000 bricks for the tower itself. The bricks were manufactured in San Rafael, California and were shipped from San Francisco to the Yaquina Head Area. The tower was built around a cavity-walled design with air chambers set within the exterior and interior walls for temperature control purposes and to provide ventilation to the bricks and mortar. Also, the cavity-walled design required less bricks to be used in construction thereby reducing materials expense and structural load. The bricks were laid using a method known as the “Flemish Bond” providing a high degree of structural strength. Also, the circular tower had screened vents installed to allow circulation within the tower and improve air movement for the burning operation of the lantern. The attached oil house was used initially to store lard oil used for the lantern, the original oil used for the first 14 years of the lighthouse operation. The lard oil was made from Mid-Western hogs and was shipped in from Ohio. The lard oil was stored in 100-gallon containers called Oil Butts, with eight butts being stored in the oil house at one time. The oil was measured and hauled every morning up the 114 stairs to the lantern for use the next evening. Over the station’s history, the oil house has served other purposes including office and workspace for the keepers, storing back-up generators and a radio beacon room. Today, the Coast Guard has automated the light for navigational use while incorporating microwave communication links to the North Bend Oregon Station for helping with helicopter communications plus search and rescue operations.
Photo of the Yaquina Head Lighthouse utilized by the Coast Guard for assisting mariners in navigation; used in conjunction with the Coast Guard’s radio equipment located on Communications Hill for supporting helicopter communications and supplying an active repeater for use in search and rescue operations.
Photo of the Yaquina Lighthouse Tower made with a cavity-walled design with air chambers located between the exterior and interior walls for insulation purposes and built with approximately 350,000 bricks during the two-year lighthouse construction period.
Photo of the oil house attached to the Yaquina Head Lighthouse Tower that has served a variety of uses including lard oil storage, office space for the keepers, storage for the back-up generators and a radio beacon room, and now used as the starting point for the interpretive tours of the lighthouse.


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