Audrey Fullerton-Samora of Sacramento, great niece of William and Grace McCarthy, donated the William M. McCarthy Photograph Collection to the California State Archives in 1996
Date Created and/or Issued
1915
Publication Information
California State Archives, a division of the California Secretary of State's Office
Caption: "Point Firmin [sic] Lighthouse," c. 1915, shows the Point Fermin lighthouse, built in 1874 in San Pedro Bay, which was the first navigational light into the bay. It served as a federally-operated lighthouse until 1927, when its operations were turned over to the City of Los Angeles. After the bombing of Pearl Harbor in 1941, the west coast was blacked out for fear of being an easy target to enemy forces. It was never lit again, but during WWII it served the U.S. Navy as a lookout tower and signaling station for ships coming into the San Pedro Bay. In 2003, the lighthouse was opened after being restored, retrofitted, and rehabilitated for public use. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and managed by the Department of Recreation and Parks of the City of Los Angeles.
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