Dofflemyer Point Light

Dofflemyer Point Light

250px Dofflemyer Point Light, ca. 2012
Location	Budd Inlet, Washington
Coordinates
Year first constructed	1934
Year first lit	1934
Automated	1987
Foundation	Surface
Construction	Concrete
Tower shape	Pyramidal
Height	30 feet (9.1 m)
Characteristic
Dofflemyer Point Light
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Olympia, Washington
Architect	Kindle, Rufus
Architectural style	Other
MPS	Maritime Related Resources of Budd Inlet MPS
NRHP Reference #	93001339
Added to NRHP	May 1, 1995

The Dofflemyer Point Lighthouse is a U.S. lighthouse in Boston Harbor, Washington, and was one of the first in the state of Washington to be automated. It sits at the northeastern entrance to Budd Inlet north of Olympia. It is the southernmost light in Puget Sound and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

History

Dofflemeyer Point defines the eastern side of the entrance to Budd Inlet, which leads south to Olympia, the state capital. A lens lantern atop a twelve-foot stake was established at the Point in 1887. The present day 30-foot (9.1 m), pyramidal concrete tower, designed by architect Rufus Kindle, replaced the first light in 1934. In the 1960s, the Coast Guard automated the Dofflemyer Point Lighthouse, using photoelectric cells to turn the light on and off. However, a contract keeper was still required to maintain the light and tower, and to activate the fog signal when needed. The lighthouse was fully automated in 1987 and a radio-beacon, which transmitted a radio signal used in locating a mariner’s position, was installed.

On May 1, 1995, the Dofflemyer Point Lighthouse was officially designated by the Washington State Advisory Council on Historic Preservation as an historic place and listed on the Washington Heritage Register. The lighthouse sits on private property and is not open to the public.

See also

• History of Olympia, Washington