Montara Point Lighthouse

Montara Point Lighthouse is 25 miles south of San Francisco in Montara, California. The lighthouse was built in 1875 and upgraded in 1912. The first light was a kerosene lantern. The new lens was a Fresnel Lens of the fourth order. The tower that still stands on the premises was built in 1881 in Wellfleet, Massachusetts then shipped to California. It was made as Mayo Beach Light, but in 1925 it was no longer necessary to have the lighthouse there. It was disassembled and placed in Yerba Buena.

It was not until 1928 that the light house made its way to Montara Point. The 1912 lens was placed in the San Mateo Historical Society in 1970, when the lighthouse became automated. The lens is currently on display at the College of Notre Dame in Belmont, California. The foundation is made of concrete, with a steel construction and conical tower rising 30 feet. It still flashes with a white light every five seconds. The lighthouse was placed next to a house built in 1863 that provided a place for the lighthouse attendant to live. The house had two bedrooms and separate keepers quarters for the relief lighthouse keeper.