Newport Oregon
Yaquina Bay Lighthouse
Restoring Oregon’s oldest woodframe lighthouse for future generations
“Water is the Enemy”
That’s a quote from Brian McBeth, who oversees historic preservation projects for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. He’s referring to the long-term sustainability of wooden structures in damp coastal climates. Specifically, he’s describing the decades-long decay that caught up to Newport’s Yaquina Bay Lighthouse.
The 1871 structure is Oregon’s oldest and only wood-frame lighthouse, but it still stands proudly perched on a dune just north of the Yaquina Bay Bridge. It served as an aid to navigation for only a few scant years, retiring in 1874 when the nearby Yaquina Head Lighthouse opened. Taller, stronger, and far less vulnerable to the elements, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse rendered her sister light obsolete.
An Overdue Renovation
That’s not to say that the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse doesn’t still inspire the imaginations of visitors from across the state. Over the decades, it’s served as a residence, a lookout, a site for Coast Guard exercises, and occasionally as office space before being restored as a privately maintained navigation aid in 1996. After more than a century of changes, the lighthouse has come full circle.
But the lighthouse was showing her age as she battled the elements. To preserve the historic structure, a $1.8 million renovation was undertaken to address the worst of the decay. Some $230,000 of the budget was funded by Oregon Lottery proceeds in the form of a State Parks grant.
The work focused on maintaining the building’s envelope — replacing the aging shingle roof with a metal one, reinforcing the brick foundation and restoring the window sashes and shutters. The work even decommissioned the brick chimney in a final effort to keep troublesome moisture out.
Thanks in part to your lottery play, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse should continue to hold a place of pride on the Oregon Coast and in the hearts of future generations!
Newport and Yaquina Bay
Nestled along Oregon’s central coast, Yaquina Bay and the Newport waterfront are more than just scenic gems—they’re a vital hub for tourism and economic vitality. Visitors flock to the area for its amazing views, fresh seafood, and vibrant mix of attractions, from the Ripley’s Believe-It-Or-Not Museum to Mo’s Seafood Restaurant and bustling marinas. The waterfront buzzes with activity, supporting local businesses, charter fishing operations, and marine research institutions. The dynamic blend of natural beauty and working waterfront makes the area a cornerstone of tourism and a key driver of Oregon’s coastal economy.
Yaquina Bay Bridge
For decades, the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse looked over the ferries that shuttled passengers from one side of the bay to the other, a scenic but not especially efficient means of traversing the coast.
That changed in 1936 when the Yaquina Bay Bridge opened as a part of the Route 101 highway project. One of eleven coastal bridges designed by engineer Conde McCullough, the Yaquina Bay Bridge and its sister bridges greatly improved accessibility and travel time. At the same time, they brought a further touch of beauty to arguably the most beautiful part of the state: The Oregon Coast.
Almost a century later, the Yaquina Bay Bridge still stands as an icon of the central coast, memorable for its soaring arches and Art Deco design motifs. When you visit the Yaquina Bay Lighthouse, take a moment to appreciate a bridge that’s a landmark in its own right.
The Lore of the Light
What’s a historic lighthouse without a ghost story or two? Luckily, if you love legends and lore as much as the lighthouses themselves, Yaquina Bay won’t disappoint.
The most often retold tale features a young woman named Muriel. More than a century ago, after visiting the then-shuttered lighthouse with a group of friends, Muriel realized she’d dropped her handkerchief and returned to the lighthouse to retrieve it. Her friends, waiting nearby, heard a scream echoing within the light. When Muriel failed to return, they investigated, finding only Muriel’s handkerchief and a pool of blood. Muriel was never found, and her ghost is said to linger on within the walls of the lighthouse.
True or not, the story of Muriel helped rouse public interest when the lighthouse was threatened with the wrecking ball in the 1950’s, ultimately helping to save and restore it. That work endured until recently, when the lighthouse was again in desperate need of structural repairs and restoration. Thanks in part to your lottery play, this time Muriel’s spirit did not have to be invoked to save her spectral home!
If You Think You’ve Seen Them All, You May Be Surprised
How Many of Oregon’s Lighthouses Have You Visited?
Some Are for Visiting, Some for Viewing
If you’re a lighthouse chaser, you may want to know exactly how many lighthouses stand sentry on the Oregon Coast. The actual number, surprisingly, is that it depends. While many sources list eleven lights on the Oregon Coast, two are built onto private residences. While these can be seen from nearby public viewpoints, they are not open to visitors.
Of the remaining nine, three are closed to visitors because of accessibility or safety concerns, including Cape Arago, Coquille River, and the mysterious Tillamook Rock Lighthouse. Finally, if you’re the sort of purist who wants to visit only lighthouses that are active aids to navigation, you can also cross Cape Meares off of your list. It was decommissioned in 1963; thankfully, it remains open to the public as a historic site.
Pictured above: Heceta Head (Florence), Coquille River (Bandon), and Cape Meares (Tillamook)
Lottery Dollars for Lighthouses
Your lottery play helps support the five lighthouses operated by our State Parks system: Cape Meares, Heceta Head, Yaquina Head, Yaquina Bay and the Umpqua River Lighthouse (whose fresnel lens is pictured here).
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