The Point Reyes Lighthouse turns 150 on December 1/NPS file

One-hundred-and-fifty years and going strong. That claim can be made for lighthouses at Point Reyes and Cape Hatteras national seashores, where the December birthdays will be celebrated.

The Point Reyes Lighthouse is the older of the two, by 15 days. While it flickered to life on December 1, 1870, the Cape Hatteras Light appeared on December 16, 1870, to warn ships off the dangerous shoals just offshore.

The Cape Hatteras Lighthouse turns 150 on December 16/Kurt Repanshek file

At Point Reyes in California, the national seashore staff along with the Point Reyes National Seashore Association will kick off a year of celebrations with a virtual birthday bash at 6 p.m. PT on December 1. That lighthouse was an important signal for the guidance and safety of mariners who traveled up and down the Northern California coastline. The National Park Service has preserved this historic building and original Fresnel lens since 1975, and continues to tell the story of the light to visitors from far and wide today. 

You can join park rangers for lighthouse history, stories, a virtual tour, and songs celebrating the past 150 years. For more information and to register, visit go.nps.gov/pore/LH150. 

On the East Coast in North Carolina, the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse will be honored by the seashore staff in partnership with the Outer Banks Lighthouse Society and Outer Banks Forever on December 16 around 4:50 p.m. ET with a livestream view of the lighthouse, followed by a 20-30-minute video broadcast of speeches. The video will feature Superintendent David Hallac, local elected officials, historians, and more.

The special events will be available to watch on social media and Dare County’s CURRENTtv.