Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse - Santa Cruz, CA
Posted by: 
saopaulo1
N 36° 57.087 W 122° 01.598
10S E 586662 N 4089929
Lighthouse on West Cliff Dr, now the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum.
Waymark Code: WM51NA
Location: California, United States
Date Posted: 10/27/2008
Views: 28
"In 1965 eighteen-year-old Mark Abbott drowned while surfing near the point. His parents used the insurance money to build a brick lighthouse near the site of the old light. "Our family had always loved lighthouses, so we decided it was the best thing to do." (Nelson, p. 69) The lighthouse was completed in 1967. The new lighthouse replaced the wooden tower. The original lantern room was from the Oakland Harbor Light. (The lantern room was replaced in 1996 due to corrosion.) Today, a working optic with a red tint is housed in the lantern room.
The Mark Abbott Memorial Lighthouse is currently home to the Santa Cruz Surfing Museum. The museum was founded in 1985 by Longboard Union members Dave Dyc and Boots McGhee, who received permission to house the museum in the lighthouse. The museum opened in May of 1986, and is a branch of the Santa Cruz Museum of Natural History. The lighthouse is currently threatened by erosion, which is undermining the point.
In Fall 2001, a second lighthouse was built in Santa Cruz. The Walton Lighthouse (or Santa Cruz Harbor Light) was built on the West Jetty of Santa Cruz Harbor. The tower houses a modern green optic 54 feet above sea level. The light was dedicated on June 9, 2002. The light received its name from one of its patrons - Charles Walton - who donated $60,000 for the project in memory of his brother Derek of the Merchant Marines." (
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