In Westport, at the entrance to Grays Harbor, inaugural ceremonies for Washington state’s tallest lighthouse kicked off in 1898. Surviving the tests of time, the 107 foot tall Grays Harbor Lighthouse was built with four foot thick walls at the base and rests on a 12 foot thick foundation. Here at Point Chehalis the lighthouse remains an active navigational device, marking the point at Grays Harbor. Its original clamshell Fresnel lens was replaced with a balcony mounted 35 watt beacon in 1992. The original lens, rotating twice a minute, produced alternating red and white flashes. Spinning in a pool of mercury for nearly 100 years, the heavy fluid was finally deemed a major health concern and removed.
   The Westport-South Beach Historical Society entered into lease agreement with the U.S. Coast Guard in 1998. After initial cleanup, public tours started up. In 2004, when the historical society was granted ownership, a five year restoration program was put in place. When first built, the lighthouse was within a hundred yards from the coastline. When trying to track down the lighthouse today, don’t expect the tower to be on the waterfront. Shifting sands has placed the Grays Harbor Lighthouse inland over a half mile off Ocean Drive in Westport.

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