08-Alki Point

Tradition has it that Hans Martin Hanson first
set a lantern on the beach to provide a light to
help vessels in 1868. In 1887 a Post Lantern
was hung from a scaffold and became the first
official light. Post Lanterns could burn
continuously for eight days and in some remote
locations they were refueled and serviced
weekly. The original Alki Point Post Lantern is
on display at the Coast Guard Museum on the
Coast Guard Base in Seattle. The lighthouse
was built in 1913 and first lighted on June 1 of
that year. The light was automated in 1984.
Senior Coast Guard personnel live in the the
lighthouse keepers homes.