Pacific Grove Guide - 2025

ACT IVI T I ES & ATTRACT IONS pacificgrove.org 39 The emblem of Pacific Grove, Point Pinos Lighthouse is the oldest continually operating lighthouse on the West Coast and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The granite building, the third order Fresnel lens and prisms in this Pacific Grove lighthouse are all original, and it is still and active aid to navigation Built in 1855, Pacific Grove’s lighthouse is on the northernmost tip of the Peninsula. Before its construction, this point had proved dangerous to sailors who mistakenly believed they had reached Monterey Bay. Initially, whale oil was used to fuel the light at Point Pinos Lighthouse. In 1880, the lighthouse shifted to kerosene for fuel. In 1919, it was finally electrified. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote positively of lightkeeper Allan Luce’s hospitality in The Old Pacific Capital, and Emily Fish was nicknamed “The Socialite Lightkeeper” for the many parties and dinners she held at the building. For information visit pointpinoslighthouse.org Point Pinos Lighthouse