Lighthouse Décor History.

Lighthouses are towers, buildings, or frameworks designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire and used as an aid to navigation and to pilots at sea. The earliest lighthouses were simply bonfires built on hillsides to guide ships. The first light served the old world city of Alexandria in 285 B.C. The first American light came to life in 1716 at Boston Harbor. In a lighthouse, the source of light is called the "lamp" and the concentration of the light is by the "lens" or "optic".

Originally lit by open fires and later candles, the Argand hollow wick lamp and parabolic reflector was developed around 1781 in Europe. In the US, whale oil was used with solid wicks as the source of light until the Argand parabolic reflector system was introduced around 1810 by Winslow Lewis. Colza oil replaced whale oil in the early 1850s, but US farmers' lack of interest in growing this caused the service to switch to lard oil in the mid 1850s. Kerosene started replacing lard oil in the 1870s and the service was finally totally converted by the late 1880s. Electricity and acetylene gas started to replace kerosene around the turn of the century.

Lighthouses which were once merely used to light the safest route or help navigate rocky shores are now less used as landmarks and more used for tourism and hobbies. Many popular lighthouse hobbies include photography and collecting ceramic replicas. Even in art, lighthouses are popular. Some of the most popular lighthouses are: 1) Carolina's Cape Hatteras, 2) Illinois' Chicago Harbor, 3) New Jersey's Sandy Hook, 4) Maryland's Hooper Strait, 5) California's Old Point Loma, 6) New York's famed Buffalo Main lighthouse.

These are very popular photographic pieces found in each lighthouse’s specific area. These lighthouses are not only the most famous lighthouses in North America, but also great venues for tourism. The photographs are featured on everything from post cards and posters to t-shirts and knick knacks make great souvenirs for collectors and fans alike. These marine giants are well known and attract people from near and far just to come and visit them.

Commercially Available Lighthouse Décor

The most popular types of lighthouse memorabilia are the ceramic replicas sold in many stores worldwide. To make these beautiful gifts, the manufacturer first pours the liquid ceramic mix into the selected mold. The mold is then fired in the kiln at very high temperatures until it is completely hardened and then it is slowly cooled. Once cooled, artists then paint the ceramic model to match its real life counter part. When the paint has dried along with a protective clear coat, the lighthouses are shipped out to the various shops for sale. Other models are made from wood, brass, and copper.

The wooden models have distinctly different purposes. One is for lighthouse décor within the home and the other is lighthouse décor specifically for exterior use. The lighthouse replicas used for interior lighthouse décor are typically made of very delicate wood and paper and cannot be used outside. They a replicas of the famous lighthouses from around the world, particularly the East Coast of the USA, the Great Lakes of the USA and the West Coast of the USA.

There are many unique exterior lighthouse décor designs available for yard decorations. These can be in the form of a mailbox, a large functional lighthouse (made from a resin material) ranging in size from 3 feet to 20 feet, tier lights for sidewalk illumination, and even some made of real stone. Many of this type of lighthouse décor has a functional rotating lamp, and windows with interior lights. Truly a unique lighthouse décor item.

The models are then collected by many a fan and help to capture the grandeur of these beautiful landmarks.