Point Fermin Lighthouse, by Kristen Heather

Kristen Heather grew up in Sacramento.  After graduating from Pepperdine University, she became the Assistant Curator at the Sutter County History Museum.  She received a Masters in Public History from UC Riverside in 2004 and was hired by the City of Los Angeles to serve as Historic Site Curator and Director of the newly restored Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro.  She enjoys sharing this piece of local history using this original structure with on-site artifacts and old photos.

Point Fermin overlooks the natural entrance to the Los Angeles Harbor with good views.  The lighthouse is a wooden house and tower in early Victorian style with handcarved details, built in 1874, and is on the National Register of Historic Places.  Its architect, Paul Pelz, designed 6 lighthouses, of which only 3 remain.

It was built on an isolated point away from the early community development, when the Los Angeles Harbor was still very primitive compared to today.  Its original water supply was a cistern to catch rainwater.  The original lantern on the top floor of the tower used a Fresnel lens to focus the beam.  The lighthouse keepers had to light the lantern every night and clean the windows, lens and lantern frequently.  The lighthouse keepers were federal employees, and the first ones were sisters Mary and Ella Smith, from 1874-82 (an unusual job for women in those times).

Kristen told stories about the early keepers.  The first controversy occurred when a man was hired to replace the assistant keeper (to work under a woman!), and constantly complained to his superiors about her, until finally they were both replaced to stop the controversy.  The port continued to develop as shipping traffic increased.  The English ship Respigadera ran aground on a reef outside the harbor in 1888, in fine weather at 1 PM, leading to disciplinary action against the Captain.  As the nearby community expanded, Fourth of July picnics, whale watching and other social events became popular at the lighthouse.

In 1924, an electric beacon light was installed as the harbor area became increasingly industrialized.  The beacon light was turned off after the Pearl Harbor attack in 1941, and the building was painted green to minimize attracting potential attention from the enemy.  The tower was redesigned to be a lookout post.  The lantern was never lit again after the war, and the building gradually fell into disuse.  It was saved from planned destruction in the 1960s, and the lantern room displaying the original Fresnel lens downstairs was restored by John Olguin and Bill Oleson, who were prominent San Pedro preservationists.  The restoration was completed in 2003 with funding from a variety of sources, and opened to the public.

The Point Fermin Lighthouse is located at 807 W Paseo del Mar in San Pedro, at the southern end of Gaffey Street.  It is open 1-4 PM daily except Monday, by guided tours only, available at 1, 2 and 3 o'clock; reservations are not necessary and there is no admission charge (although donations are appreciated).  Group tours can be arranged by calling (310) 241-0684.  The website is www.pointferminlighthouse.org.