Lamps

THE ALC LIGHTHOUSE LAMP DATABASE

At the Maritime Heritage Conference held in San Diego CA in 2007 a proposal was made that the American Lighthouse Council (ALC, formerly ALCC) should try to determine the types of lighthouse lamps still in existence and their current locations.

This document was commissioned by the American Lighthouse Council to assist in identifying lighthouse lamps used in America. The first page is a chart of the types of lighthouse lamps used in America with some description details and identifying the page where further details can be found for each lamp type. You can then go to that page to find photos and further details.

The ingenuity of man is truly amazing and this can easily be seen in the odd collection of techniques used for the illumination of lighthouses across the centuries.  Lighthouse illumination began with simple wood fires and progressed through generations of other methods.  Even the oil lamp began in simplicity and evolved into a machine with multiple wicks, clockwork oil pumps, specialized chimneys, hydraulic, pneumatic, and other variants.  This story will take you through the history of illumination methods in lighthouses.

Trotter, Lindberg, Lyth, Arzberger Lamps

LAMP GLOSSARY OF TERMS

Acetylene Lamp – A lamp composed of a Regulator and Flasher that uses acetylene as a fuel.