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As I have done research on lighthouses in the National Archives in Washington, D.C., over the past
decade, I have compiled these notes on some of the entries in Record Group 26, the primary depository for lighthouse records.
It is a work in progress . . . Candace Clifford
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Early U.S. Light-House Establishment, 1789 - 1852
Entry 17 (NC-31)
CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO EARLY LIGHTHOUSES, 1785-1853
See
volume and box list for following
17A. LETTERS RECEIVED BY THE TREASURY DEPARTMENT, 1785-1812
17C. LETTERS RECEIVED FROM SUPERINTENDENTS OF LIGHTS, 1803-52
(organized by port)
17D. SUPERINTENDENT LIGHT REPLIES TO CIRCULARS, 1830-38
17E. LETTERS RECEIVED FROM WINSLOW LEWIS, 1811-44
17F. MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS RECEIVED (ALPHABETICAL), 1801-52
17G. MISCELLANEOUS LETTERS RECEIVED (NUMERICAL), 1801-52
17H. DRAFT COPIES OF LETTERS SENT, 1813-52 (includes
Pleasonton correspondence, 1820 -1852)
17I. CORRESPONDENCE RELATING TO THE APPOINTMENT OF LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS,
1801-52
17J. RECORDS RELATING TO LIBRARY OF CONGRESS EXHIBIT, 1785-1852
17K. LETTERS RECEIVED FROM THE SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, 1830-52
Mostly keeper appts. early on; interests expand with time; early USLHB material
Entry 18 (NC-31)
LETTERS SENT REGARDING THE LIGHT-HOUSE SERVICE,
1792-1852
Copies of correspondence from USLHE arranged chronologically, see volume list for 31 volumes
Entry 35 (NC-31)
"LIGHT-HOUSE LETTERS," Series P, 1833-64 - see box list
Entry 45 (NC-31)
MISCELLANEOUS MATERIAL RECEIVED BY THE FIFTH
AUDITOR, 1812-52
Includes newspaper advertisements, proposals/bids, receipts, contracts, and petitions
for lighthouses - see box list
U.S. Light-House Board, 1852 - 1910
Entry 13 (NC-63) CLIPPINGS RELATING TO LIGHT-HOUSES, ca. 1800-1939
Excerpts from USLHB annual reports arranged by light station under district
Entry 38 (NC-31)
LIST OF GENERAL CORRESPONDENCE, 1791-1900
Alpha
index of correspondence received by the USLHB. Originals are bound in letterbooks, many of which were destroyed
in a 1920s fire. I have digitized some of the damaged letterbooks that cannot be pulled. They are available on CD in the downtown D.C. National Archives finding aids room.
Entry 1 (NC-31)
JOURNAL OF THE LIGHT-HOUSE BOARD, May 20, 1851-January
1, 1908
28 volumes arranged chronologically, see volume list
Entry 9 (NC-31)
REPORTS SUBMITTED TO THE BOARD BY COMMITTEES, 1874-1900
21
boxes - see box list
Entry 20 (NC-31)
LETTERS SENT BY THE LIGHT-HOUSE BOARD, October
1852-January 1897
Includes letters to Superintendents of Construction, other agencies, Board members, etc. (No
indexes in volumes; press copies are bound in volumes with indexes and stored in boxes) - see volume/box list
Entry 23 (NC-31)
LETTERS SENT TO DISTRICT INSPECTORS AND ENGINEERS,
October 1852-July 1910 (Early correspondence copied into
volumes, arranged by district; later correspondence consists of press copies in boxes) - see list of volumes and boxes
Entry 24 (NC-31)
LETTERS RECEIVED FROM DISTRICT ENGINEERS AND INSPECTORS,
ca. 1853-1900 (Reflected in Entry 38 index) - see box list
Entry 26 (NC-31)
LETTERS SENT TO SUPERINTENDENTS OF LIGHTS, 1853-1894
-
Letters from Naval Secy. primarily concerning personnel and purchasesEntry 30 (NC-31) MISCELANEOUS LETTERS SENT, 1851 - 1853, July 1874 - June 1910
Letters from the
USLHB to non-employees; 1874 - 1910 volumes are indexed press copies, includes lens orders under "illuminating apparatus"
and letters to contractors - see box list
Entry 31 (NC-31)
LETTERS SENT TO SECRETARY OF THE TREASURY, 1852
- 1908
Letters to the Secy. of the Treasury from the Chairman of the Light-House Board and the USLHB Naval & Engineering
Secretaries. Volumes for early years and bound press copies for later years - see volume/box list
Entry 32 (NC-31)
LETTERS SENT BY TREASURY DEPARTMENT & U.S.
LIGHT-HOUSE BOARD, APRIL 1851 - FEB. 1907
There is a gap between June 1877 and July 1905. Includes letters to district
engineers & inspectors, Secy. of the Treasury, and letters regarding keeper nominations / applications, some early
volumes are labelled "P Series", some volumes are entirely keeper appointment letters, later volumes are indexed - see box list
Entry 48 (NC-31)
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE LIGHT-HOUSE BOARD, January
1, 1901-June 6, 1910
(Organized by file number, see Entry 51 1901 -1910 index)
Entry 63 (NC-31), now entry 6 (A-1)
DESCRIPTIVE LISTS OF LIGHTHOUSE
STATIONS, 1858-1889, 1876-1939 see box list (Most pamphlets have been inputed by the Cheseapake Chapter into a database that is now available on the U.S. Lighthouse Society website)
Entry 71 (NC-31)
DESCRIPTION OF LIGHTHOUSES ca. 1900
(One
volume; two pages devoted to each lighthouse from Maine through New Jersey; provides dates of repairs, Lat / Long, lens characteristic,
lens order, height, focal plane, daymark characteristics, when established, when rebuilt, compass range of visibility, and
remarks)
U.S. Bureau of Lighthouses, 1911-1939
Entry 50 (NC-31)
CORRESPONDENCE OF THE BUREAU OF LIGHT-HOUSES, January
1911-December 1939
(Organized by file number, see Entry 51 1911 -1939 index)
Entry 13 (NC-31)
BULLETINS OF THE LIGHTHOUSE BUREAU, 1912 -
1939
(Four-page bulletin was issued monthly by the Bureau; 6 boxes of
all issues)
U.S. Coast Guard, 1939-present
Entry 82 (A-1)
USCG General Correspondence (Four parts, three
parts correspond to a specific time period; fourth part consists of station files; arranged according to subject files - see
finding aids in reference room at Archives I)
Entry 99 (A-1)
USCG BOARDS
OF SURVEY - REAL ESTATE, 1945 -1980
Includes form describing station property; shelved in two locations - arranged by
state
Entry 100 (A-1) MIXED BOARDS OF SURVEY
Concerns portable property
items such as boats, etc.; arranged by station name
Entry 186 (A-1)
UNIT WAR DIARIES, 1942-45
(arranged by District - issued every two weeks by district office - includes some
operational and personnel material)
Entry 281
USCG NARRATIVE HISTORIES, WWII, 1941-45
Overall
history and histories completed by each district office
Entry 381 (A-1)
Station Files, 1941 - 77
Entry 401 (A-1)
BOARDS OF SURVEY - GREENSPUN, EVANS, KENNER, 1946
- 1949
Studies to disestablish or automate stations
Miscellaneous
Entry 122 (NC-31)
DEEDS AND CONTRACTS FOR LIGHTHOUSES AND SITES,
Volumes start in 1790; boxes for 1911 - 1939 (First two volumes on microfilm; see volume list)
Entry 5 (A-1)
LIGHT-HOUSE SERVICE PUBLICATIONS, 1838-1942
Published
Light Lists (starting in 1838) and Notice to Mariners (starting in 1852); see box list
Entry 16 (NC-31)
MISCELLANEOUS RECORDS, 1816-1929, 1918-36
Entry 66 (NC-31)
LIGHTHOUSE SITE FILES, 1790-1939
Entry 7 (UD)
LIGHTHOUSE WORK ORDERS ca. 1875-1922
see box list
Entry 454 (A-1)
STATION HISTORY FILES (ca. 1890 - 2001)
Entry 59 (NC-31)
RECORDS CONCERNING ILLUMINATING
APPARATUS, 1839 - 60, 1876 -78, 1880 - 81 (Includes invoices, in French, from manufacturers, primarily for 1850s)
Field Records
Entry 1 (NC-63)
RECORDS OF THE THIRD LIGHT-HOUSE DISTRICT (NEW YORK),
1854-1939
see box and volume list
Entry 3 (NC-63)
RECORDS OF THE FIFTH LIGHT-HOUSE DISTRICT (BALTIMORE),
1851-1912
see volume list
Entry 58 (A-1)
RECORDS OF THE SIXTH LIGHT-HOUSE DISTRICT (CHARLESTON,
S.C.) 1867 - 1911 see box list
Entry 5 (NC-63)
RECORDS OF THE SEVENTH & EIGHTH LIGHT-HOUSE
DISTRICTS (KEY WEST, MOBILE, & NEW ORLEANS), 1850-51, 1867-1940
see box and volume list
Entry 6 (NC-63)
RECORDS OF THE NINTH LIGHT-HOUSE DISTRICT (CHICAGO),
1886-1905
Letters from keepers to district inspector - see box list
Entry 8 (NC-63)
RECORDS OF THE 12TH LIGHT-HOUSE DISTRICT, (SAN FRANCISCO) 1871 - 1913 - see box list
Entry 15 (UD)
MISCL. FIELD RECORDS RELATING
TO 2ND & 13TH LIGHTHOUSE DISTRICT ca. 1873 - 1901 - see volume list
Logbooks
Entry 80 (NC-31)
LIGHTHOUSE STATION LOGS, 1872-1947 (See Entry
159 for additional logs for 1942-47 period.
Entry 159 (NC-31) USCG
LIGHTHOUSE LOGS, 1942 - 47
Entry 159-D 1942 (A box list for 1942 is included on the Archives WIKI Site)
Entry 159-E 1943 (A box list for 1943 is included on the Archives WIKI Site)
Entry 159-F 1944
Entry 159-G 1945
Entry 159-H 1946
Entry 159-I 1947
Entry P-65 and Entry 330 USCG LIGHTHOUSE STATION LOGS, 1947-1970
Keepers
Entry 32 (NC-31)
LETTERS SENT BY TREASURY DEPT. & USLHB, 1851
- 1907
(Includes keeper appts.)
Entry 81 (A-1)
REGISTER OF EMPLOYEES, 1866 - 1913
(15 volumes)
Entry 87
NOMINATIONS FOR EMPLOYEES OF THE USLHB, 1865 - 1907
(6
volumes - see volume list)
Entry 101 (NC-31)
RECORD OF SALARIES OF LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS
(26 volumes - see volume list)
Entry 100 (NC-31) 2 volumes lighthouse keeper appointments 1832 - 1860
Entry 111 (NC-31)
RECORD OF RECLASSIFICATION OF LIGHT-HOUSE KEEPERS
SALARIES, 1922-28 (Includes job description written by each keeper- Box 1: 1st -5th Districts (none for 2nd District;
Box 2: 6th - 9th Districts; Box 3: 10th - 11th; Box 4: 12th - 17th Districts; Box 5: 18th - 19th Districts)
Entry 115 (NC-31) PAYROLLS OF EMPLOYEES OF LIGHTHOUSE VESSELS . .
. , 1871 - 1939
Entry 118 (NC-31)
PROCEEDINGS OF BOARD FOR INDUCTION OF THE LIGHT-HOUSE
EMPLOYEES INTO THE COAST GUARD, 1939-40 - see box list
Entry 7 (A-1) RETIREMENT RECORD CARDS, 1907-51 (includes lighthouse
personnel who served after 1939); 9 boxes - alpha by name
Tenders
Entry 9 (NC-63)
RECORDS OF THE SEVENTEENTH LIGHT-HOUSE DISTRICT
(PORTLAND) 1909-1922
3 volumes of correspondence relating to tenders
Boxes 25 -27 of the LIGHTHOUSE CLIPPING FILES are devoted to tenders
The USLHB correspondence index (Entry 38) has more than 6 inches of slips
referencing tenders in boxes 176 - 177
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Specializing in researching and writing lighthouse history
Please note that all material contained on this site is protected by
U.S. copyright law and may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, displayed, published, or broadcast without the permission
of Candace Clifford. You may, however, download or print these pages for personal noncommercial use.
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