Point Cabrillo Lighthouse Museum

Lighthouse Museum

One enters the building via the lighthouse tower. Here there are examples of equipment used to illuminate and turn the lens as well as a guest book from the Lighthouse’s earliest days. The public is not permitted upstairs, except for the 8 days a year in which it is open for tours. See Upcoming Events for a schedule of these tours.

From the tower section you move into the Fog Signal Building. The main floor originally housed the air compressors that powered the fog signals. Our fog signature was 2 seconds on, 2 seconds off, 2 seconds on, and 24 seconds off. Locals learned to speak in 24 second bursts. The light has its own separate signature, blinking every ten seconds. Ships could determine their location based on the unique signatures of fog signals and lighthouses. Similarly, the white building with its unique red roof is the lighthouse daymark, which can be used to identify our particular lighthouse in the daytime.

The remainder of the Lighthouse Museum is on the main floor of the Fog Signal Building, on the right side as you enter. It shares space with the Giftshop, which is on the left.

The museum exhibits illustrate the history of Point Cabrillo, beginning with the utilization of the site by the Mitom Pomo who have harvested food from the California coast for the past 12,000 years. The wreck of the Frolic off the rocks north of the Point in 1850 triggered the immigration of settlers to the coast as redwoods and Douglas fir trees were harvested. The early history of the Light Station, its ongoing restoration, and current work are illuminated by various exhibit.