Qualla: Point Vicente Lighthouse

Point Vicente Lighthouse: Introduction

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Vulpes marcrotis, CC BY-SA 4.0. After World War II, rumors spread of a woman in a white gown pacing the tower at night. Some whispered she was the widow of a lighthouse keeper; others claimed she was the spirit of someone who had leaped from the cliffs. The Coast Guard eventually offered a more prosaic explanation: an extra coat of paint had been applied to reduce the light's reflection on neighboring homes, creating the ghostly illusions. But the 'Lady of the Light' legend persists at Point Vicente, where a lighthouse has stood watch over the approaches to Los Angeles Harbor since 1926.

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Image: Vulpes marcrotis | CC BY-SA 4.0

Point Vicente Lighthouse: Light from Alaska

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Matsujima, CC BY-SA 4.0. The lens that once rotated in the Point Vicente lantern room had already seen four decades of service before arriving in California. Crafted in 1886 by Barbier, Benard, et Turenne - the oldest lens-making company in the world - this third-order Fresnel lens spent its early years ...

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Image: Matsujima | CC BY-SA 4.0

Point Vicente Lighthouse: Cliffside Sentinel

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Nhostetler, CC BY-SA 3.0. Point Vicente Lighthouse stands on the edge of the Palos Verdes Peninsula, its masonry tower rising from cliffs that drop dramatically to the Pacific. The structure was built in 1926, positioning the center of its lantern high above the ocean - a beacon visible to vessels approac...

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Image: Nhostetler | CC BY-SA 3.0

Point Vicente Lighthouse: Dimmed for War

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mike Quach, CC BY-SA 3.0. When war came to the Pacific in December 1941, Point Vicente's brilliant beam became a liability. The light source was dimmed to just 25 watts to avoid providing a navigation aid to enemy submarines prowling the California coast. The lighthouse was operated and maintained by the ...

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Image: Mike Quach | CC BY-SA 3.0

Point Vicente Lighthouse: Keepers of the Light

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Coast Guard News, CC BY 2.0. Three head keepers tended Point Vicente during its early decades. George W. L'Hommedieu served from the lighthouse's opening in 1925 until 1930. Anton Trittinger followed, keeping the light through the Depression and the entirety of World War II until 1945. Joseph May completed t...

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Image: Coast Guard News | CC BY 2.0

Point Vicente Lighthouse: Hollywood's Lighthouse

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0. The dramatic setting has attracted filmmakers for decades. Point Vicente doubled for locations in the 2001 film Pearl Harbor and Christopher Nolan's 2017 Dunkirk. The lighthouse and its grounds remain federal property, owned and operated by the Coast Guard. While the lighthouse i...

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Image: Ken Lund from Reno, Nevada, USA | CC BY-SA 2.0