Little Lighthouse on a Big Cliff: The Old Point Loma Lighthouse

In this installment of History off the Beaten Path, we visit a museum that was once instrumental in guiding ships and sailors from 1855 until 1891.

Though it's no longer in operation, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse makes a picturesque silhouette against the horizon. Deena C. Bouknight

Many lighthouses on America’s coasts and islands are at least 100 feet tall. The Cape Hatteras lighthouse in the Outer Banks of North Carolina tops out at 210 feet tall. However, that isn’t the case for all lighthouses. In San Diego, the historic Old Point Loma Lighthouse at California’s Cabrillo National Monument is shorter. Because of the sheer height of the cliff on which it’s perched, 19th-century architects didn’t design a tall building.

Shorter than most lighthouses, the preserved Old Point Loma lighthouse provides visitors with a primer in 19th- century nautical history. Deena C. Bouknight