1789–1910 In 1789, the United States Lighthouse Establishment (USLHE) was created and operated under the
Department of the Treasury. All U.S. lighthouse ownership was transferred to the government, which became the General Lighthouse Authority (GLA). In 1792, the
Cape Henry Lighthouse was the first lighthouse built by the USLHE. In 1822, French physicist
Augustin Fresnel designed the
Fresnel lens. In 1841, the Fresnel lens was first used in the United States and installed on the
Navesink Lighthouse. In 1852, the
Lighthouse Board was created. In 1871, the
Duxbury Pier Light became the first caisson lighthouse built in the United States. In 1877,
kerosene became the primary fuel for lighthouses, replacing various fuels such as
sperm oil,
Colza oil,
rapeseed oil, and
lard oil. In 1884, uniforms came into use by all members of the Lighthouse Board. In 1886, the
Statue of Liberty was the first lighthouse to use
electricity. In 1898, all coastal lighthouses were extinguished, for the first time in U.S. history, as a precaution during the
Spanish–American War. In 1904, the
Lightship Nantucket became first U.S. vessel to have radio communication. In 1910, the Bureau of Lighthouses was created and operated as the United States Lighthouse Service (USLHS).
1910–1917 In 1910, 11,713 aids to navigation of all types were around the country. Congress abolished the U.S. Light-House Board and created the Bureau of Lighthouses under the
Department of Commerce.
1919–1939 , a
Manzanita-class tender, which operated in the Chesapeake Bay The first automatic radio beacon in the United States began service in 1928. Radio beacons are still in use today, although most have recently been decommissioned as improved electronic navigational aids have become available. An automatic time clock for operating electric range lights came into use in 1926, and by 1933, a photoelectric-controlled alarm device had been developed to check the operation of the unwatched electric light. A lightship staffed by remote control was equipped by the Lighthouse Bureau in 1934. It included a light, fog signal, and radio beacon, all controlled by radio signals. A battery-powered buoy, which gradually replaced the older acetylene buoys, was introduced in 1935. Because of the technological improvements mentioned above, and in particular the radio beacon direction finder, the United States rose from sixth in shipping safety in 1920 to second in 1935, with only the
Netherlands holding a better safety record. On 1 July 1939, the service merged with the
United States Coast Guard, which has since taken over the maintenance and operation of all U.S. lighthouses and lightships. ==World War II==