Admiralty Head Lighthouse
Whidbey Island
First lit: 1861
Extinguished: 1922
48.15702 -122.67943
High on the towering cliffs of Whidbey Island, this lighthouse didn’t survive the transition from sailing ships to those driven by steam. The lighthouse marked the farthest side of a wide channel, and ships powered by steam did not need to cross Puget Sound before turning South for Seattle or north for Vancouver. They simply exited the Straits and turned at the Point Wilson light.
The dormant light served as a medical clinic and barracks for the Fort Casey gun emplacements during WWII. At that time it was painted olive-drab and the light room was removed. The Island County Historical Society eventually repainted it white and red and rebuilt a light room.
