U.S. Lighthouse Society Chapters and Affiliates are groups that support either specific lighthouse projects or regional endeavors.
Chapters of the U.S. Lighthouse Society are autonomous, multifaceted groups of citizens with a common interest: the preservation of lighthouses and lightships. SoNatiociety Chapters raise public awareness of our country's lighthouses and lightships and, in many areas, provide volunteers to maintain, preserve, or act as docents at lighthouses within the Chapter's region. Chapters are authorized to accept tax-deductible donations under the Society's 501(c)3 non-profit umbrella, which affords grassroots organizations assistance with start up, and whose income is reported as part of the Society's annual tax return. Chapters also enjoy access to a network of educational and preservation resources. Chapter status is achieved through an official application process and a review by the Society's Board of Directors.
An Affiliate of the U.S. Lighthouse Society is an organization that already has received a 501(c)3 non-profit designation from the Internal Revenue Service. Affiliates share the common mission of lighthouse preservation with the U.S. Lighthouse Society, and, although they wish to maintain their independent status, they see value in acknowledging a formal relationship with the Society. Affiliate status is achieved through an official application process and a review by the Society's Board of Directors.
Chapters of the U.S. Lighthouse Society
Affiliates of the U.S. Lighthouse Society
Chapters
California
California Lighthouse Society
The California Lighthouse Society is dedicated to preserving and defending California's historic beacons by creating and financially supporting preservation efforts across the state, instituting new lighthouse-related events, and raising public awareness of the past, present, and future of these structures with the aim of unifying the state's lighthouse community.
Contact Information
California Lighthouse Society
P.O Box 536
Palo Alto CA, 94302
Website: calighthousesociety.org
New York
Long Island Chapter
The Long Island Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society was established to assist in the restoration and preservation of the lighthouses of the Long Island, New York area and make Long Island's lighthouse heritage known to the public. The Chapter is currently involved in many projects and is working to educate, inform, and entertain those who are interested in Long Island's lighthouses, past and present.
Contact Information
U.S. Lighthouse Society – Long Island Chapter
Robert G. Müller, President
PO Box 794
Bayport, NY 11705
631-650-5285
Oregon / Washington
Point No Point Chapter
The Friends of Point No Point Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation of the Point No Point Lighthouse in Kitsap County, Washington. We seek to educate the public as to the history and future of this historic landmark, supporting the plans of Kitsap County for development of the lighthouse and surrounding area.
Contact Information
U.S. Lighthouse Society – Point No Point Chapter
P.O. Box 223 - Hansville, WA 98340
Website: www.pnplighthouse.com
Pacific Northwest Lighthouse Group
The Pacific Northwest Lighthouse Group assists the various lighthouses along the Pacific Northwest of the U.S., providing docents, work crews, and raising funds for lighthouse preservation through meetings and other events. Chapter members receive a newsletter.
Contact Information
Pacific Northwest Lighthouse Group
PO Box 940
Fairview, OR 97024-0940
Virginia / Maryland / Delaware
Chesapeake Chapter
The Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society is our largest chapter. The chapter covers the states of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia.
Chapter members perform a host of volunteer duties: assist the Coast Guard Historian with office work (filing, etc.) relating to lighthouses and lightships, help restore artifacts at the Coast Guard artifact warehouse in Maryland, and have even restored a Coast Guard-operated minor aid to navigation on the Potomac River. The chapter also conducts short tours, cruises and meetings, often with other lighthouse groups. The Society and chapter continue to work hard to restore and preserve the historic Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse. The lighthouse, a National Historic Landmark, is the last in situ lighthouse – still in its original location – of some 36 screw-pile lighthouses that dotted Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries in the 19th century. The lighthouse is opened to the public on selected dates each year for docent-led tours. Click Here to view our upcoming tour dates.
Contact Information
U.S. Lighthouse Society – Chesapeake Chapter
P.O. Box 178, Joppa, MD 21085-0178
Website: www.cheslights.org/
Tour Information
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse
Website: uslhs.org/about/thomas-point-shoal-lighthouse
Affiliates of the United States Lighthouse Society
Alabama
Alabama Lighthouse Association
The Alabama Lighthouse Association's mission is the historic preservation of lighthouses, to establish support and promote efforts toward the preservation of Alabama Lighthouses through educational programs, newsletters, literature, films, publicity, and tours, and to assist in whatever way possible in the restoration and preservation of lighthouses, lighthouse artifacts, and literature everywhere.
Contact Information
The Alabama Lighthouse Association
P.O. Box 250, Mobile, AL 36601;
California
Central Coast Lighthouse Keepers
The Central Coast Lighthouse Keepers promotes awareness, knowledge, and understanding of the lighthouses of California's Central Coast and aids their preservation.
Contact Information
Central Coast Lighthouse Keepers
P.O. Box 223014, Carmel, CA 93922;
831-649-7139
Website: https://central-coast-lighthouse-keepers.square.site/
Point Fermin Lighthouse Society
The Point Fermin Lighthouse Society's mission is to educate and inform the public about the lighthouse's role in the history of California and its influence on the area of San Pedro and its people emphasizing its function as a navigational beacon, its lighthouse keepers, and its inhabitants through preservation, exhibition, and public programming.
Contact Information
The Point Fermin Lighthouse Society
366 South Hamilton Avenue, San Pedro, CA 90732;
310-241-0684
Website: https://www.pflhs.org/
St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society
St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society is a non-profit organization formed in 1988 whose goals were to first acquire and then preserve the St. George Reef lighthouse. The Government Services Administration (GSA), and Del Norte County completed the final transfer of St. George to the Society in 1996. The aim of the Society is to preserve this historic structure for future generations and to tell the story of the role this lighthouse played in the maritime history of the West Coast.
Contact Information
The St. George Reef Lighthouse Preservation Society
PO BOX 577, Crescent City, CA 95531;
707-464-8299
Website: www.stgeorgereeflighthouse.us
Delaware
Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation
The Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation is dedicated to fostering, advocating and participating in the preservation of historic Delaware River and Bay lighthouses and will demonstrate this commitment through the restoration and preservation of Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse. The DRBLHF strives to impact not only the Delaware River and Bay communities, but people of all ages and backgrounds in a manner that attains the highest levels of maritime education and cultural enrichment.
Contact Information
Delaware River & Bay Lighthouse Foundation
P.O. Box 708, Lewes, DE 19958;
302-644-7046
Website: www.delawarebaylights.org
Florida
Florida Lighthouse Association
The Florida Lighthouse Association is a non-profit group of citizen activists dedicated to the preservation of the 30 remaining historic lighthouses that line our state's 1200 mile coastline. Our mission is to preserve, restore, protect and defend Florida's lighthouse towers, along with their material culture, buildings, artifacts and records to assure that the magic of Florida's lighthouses and lighthouse keepers will be available for the enjoyment and understanding of future generations.
Contact Information
Florida Lighthouse Association
15275 Collier Blvd, #201, PMB 179, Naples, Florida 34119
Website: www.floridalighthouses.org
Maine
American Lighthouse Foundation
The mission of the American Lighthouse Foundation is to save and preserve our nation's historic light stations and their rich heritage. This will be accomplished through the restoration, promotion and adaptive re-use of America's historic light stations, as well as educational initiatives that foster the sustainable preservation of lighthouses and perpetuate the legacy of the men and women who have tended them.
Contact Information
American Lighthouse Foundation
P.O. Box 565, Rockland, Maine 04841;
207-594-4174
Website: www.lighthousefoundation.org
Massachusetts
Friends of Plum Island Light
Friends of the Plum Island Light is a nonprofit educational organization established in 1994 to direct and support the preservation, operation, and maintenance of the Newburyport Harbor Light, aka Plum Island Light and to inform the public of the story of the light.
Contact Information
Friends of Plum Island Light
PO Box 381
Newburyport, MA 01950
Physical Address: 263 Northern Blvd., Newburyport, MA 01950
Website: https://www.friendsofplumislandlight.org/
U.S. Lifesaving Service Heritage Association
The purpose of the Living History Association is to educate the general public on the critical and historical role the "U.S. Lifesaving Service" had in protecting mariners along the shores of these United States. The Association will educate primarily through living history programs; programs that will accurately as possible, replicate techniques and equipment used to save mariners and unfortunate victims shipwrecked along our shores.
Contact Information
US Life-Saving Service Heritage Association
PO Box 213 Hull, MA 02045;
781-724-7131
Website: www.uslife-savingservice.org
Michigan
Great Lakes Light Keepers Association (GLLKA)
GLLKA's mission statement is a calling for the preservation of lighthouses, the stories of those who kept them, and developing a new generation of preservationists. GLLKA also works to support other lighthouse groups throughout the Great Lakes and across the nation.
Contact Information
Great Lakes Light Keepers Association
P.O. Box 219, Mackinaw City, MI 49701;
231-436-5580
Website: www.gllka.org
Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy
Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy's mission is to promote the preservation of Michigan's lighthouses and life saving station structures along with the artifacts associated with them. They accomplish this through education, interpretive displays and artifact preservation.
Contact Information
Michigan Lighthouse Conservancy
P.O. Box 219, Mackinaw City, MI 49701;
231-436-5580
Website: www.michiganlights.com
Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association (SPLKA)
SPLKA’s mission is to preserve, promote, and educate the public and make their lighthouses accessible to all. SPLKA is active at Big Sable Point, Ludington North Breakwater, Little Sable Point, and the White River Light Station and provides unique volunteer opportunities for over 400 members nationwide.
Contact Information
Sable Points Lighthouse Keepers Association
P.O. Box 673, Ludington, MI 49431;
231-845-7417
Website: www.splka.org
New Jersey
New Jersey Lighthouse Society
New Jersey Lighthouse Society was formed in 1989 as a state chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society. In 1994, the chapter became the New Jersey Lighthouse Society, one of the largest regional lighthouse societies in the United States. The society counts among its membership more than 1000 people throughout the United States and the world. The Society is dedicated to fostering an appreciation of the history about and to support the preservation of lighthouses everywhere. The main focus of the NJLHS in these efforts is in the New Jersey, Delaware Bay, and New York Harbor regions.
Contact Information
New Jersey Lighthouse Society NJLHS
PO Box 332, Navesink, NJ 07752-0332;
Website: www.njlhs.org
New York
American Lighthouse Council
The American Lighthouse Council, formerly the American Lighthouse Coordinating Committee, is the leadership council and forum of the national lighthouse preservation movement. It focuses specifically on lighthouse practitioners, those who work as volunteers or professionals in preservation, restoration and the history of lighthouses, and its website features a practitioners' blog and expert contacts.
Contact Information
The American Lighthouse Council
c/o Mike Vogel bufkeeper@gmail.com
Website: www.uslhs.org/alc
Phone:415-362-7255
National Lighthouse Museum
Located on the former site of the United States Lighthouse Service’s General Depot in St. George, Staten Island, the National Lighthouse Museum educates visitors about the history and technology of the nation’s lighthouses. The Museum occupies the 2,400 square foot 1912 USLHS foundry building. Visitors are welcome to enjoy self-guided tours of the Museum exhibits including: Beacons Through Time, Supplying the Nation’s Light Stations: The General Depot, Optics: Projecting the Light, Life at the Light: Lighthouse Keepers, and much more!
Contact Information
National Lighthouse Museum
200 The Promenade at Lighthouse Point
Staten Island, NY 10301-0296
Tel: 718-390-0040
Fax: 718-390-0041
Website: lighthousemuseum.org
Email: info@lighthousemuseum.org
North Carolina
Outer Banks Lighthouse Society
The Outer Banks Lighthouse Society actively supports all North Carolina lighthouses. Well-known in the lighthouse community, it is often called upon to help in various ways such as serving as a consultant for educational programs including PBS, The History Channel, The Discovery Channel, and other media. The society receives dozens of monthly requests for information concerning North Carolina Lighthouses. All projects are carried out due to the dedication of its volunteers. Its long list of accomplishments continues to grow.
Contact Information
Outer Banks Lighthouse Society
PO Box 1005, Morehead City, NC 28557;
919-787-6378
Website: www.outerbankslighthousesociety.org
Oregon
Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses
Friends of Yaquina Lighthouses is a non-profit organization that aids in the preservation and restoration of Yaquina Bay and Yaquina Head Lighthouses.
Contact Information
Newport OR
541-574-3129
Website: www.yaquinalights.org
Washington
New Dungeness Lighthouse Association
The New Dungeness Light Station Association is working to preserve the 1865 New Dungeness Lighthouse, located at the tip of the five-mile-long New Dungeness Peninsula in the state of Washington. Lighthouse Keeper Program participants reside in the dwelling for a period of one week. While at the station they conduct public tours of the lighthouse and do various maintenance chores. The station is located in a spectacular setting, backed by several majestic mountain ranges. Located in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, one might see seals, various sea birds, an occasional whale and bald eagle. To qualify to stay at the lighthouse, one must be a member of the New Dungeness Chapter.
Contact Information
New Dungeness Light Station Association
P.O. Box 1283, Sequim, WA 98382;
360-683-6638
Website: www.newdungenesslighthouse.com
Canada
Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society
The Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society (NSLPS) was founded in 1994 by lighthouse enthusiasts while on a visit to Sambro Island who were so concerned about the condition of the lighthouse and the keeper's houses, that they set up the non-profit society to benefit all the 150 lighthouses in Nova Scotia.
Contact Information
Nova Scotia Lighthouse Preservation Society
C/O Maritime Museum of the Atlantic
1675 Lower Water Street Halifax NS, Canada B3J 1S3
Website: www.nslps.com
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society (British Columbia)
The Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society is dedicated to preserving and protecting the Sheringham Point Lighthouse. The Society's mission is to is document and recognize the historic importance of the lighthouse and to ensure that the lighthouse and its historic route remain accessible and in public hands.
We are very proud to make available this link to a legislation document, Bill S-215, which was written to protect Canadian Lighthouses. Click here to read about their plan.
Contact Information
Sheringham Point Lighthouse Preservation Society
Website: www.sheringhamlighthouse.org
Email: info@sheringhamlighthouse.org