Pigeon Point Lighthouse

The Pigeon Point Lighthouse has stood proud and (115 feet) tall since 1872, the year it began to guide mariners from its perch on a 35-foot cliff in Pescadero. Constructed of unreinforced brick, the lighthouse is the second tallest on the West Coast. The original first-order Fresnel lens (the largest size) is still in order, though it's been temporarily moved due to restoration work on the tower. It's currently on display in the fog signal building. Invented by the Frenchman Augustine Fresnel, the lens consists of 1,008 glass prisms enclosing a light source. The prisms concentrate the light, allowing a low-intensity light source to project a strong beam over a great distance.