Lenses At Spring Point

The Spring Point Lighthouse originally had a 5th order Fresnel lens, which was approximately 22-inches tall, 15-inches in diameter, and weighed approximately 265-440 pounds. A weight-driven mechanical mechanism, similar to that in the photo on the right, rotated the lens to give the lighthouse its flashing characteristic.

Before Spring Point was electrified, the light was provided by oil lamps (below, left). Oil was stored in the basement and only enough was brought up to the lantern room to fuel the lamps for the night.

The lens was removed when the lighthouse was modernized and automated in the 1980s and replaced with a 300mm Lexan plastic lens (below, right). Unfortunately, the whereabouts of the original Fresnel lens is unknown.

Above is a Fresnel lens similar to Spring Point's original lamp which was rotated by the adjacent clockwork.

The current lens (above), made of Lexan plastic, is not as romantic, or expensive, as the original Fresnel lens.

Oil lamps such as these provided the light source for the first lamp at Spring Point.