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Why the Web Site?
This site is dedicated to all who love lighthouses: those who physically maintain and care for these great beacons to those who know the feeling of seeing a great lighthouse tower break the horizon for the first time while wrestling with a car map!
This site is also for those who can just appreciate the salt smell of the
ocean while perched on a wind-swept bluff, looking out toward the horizon as
the tower next to you has for centuries!
As some of these loyalists, and having visited countless numbers of these historic jewels, a few things occurred to us:
First, we felt the need for a system to keep track of all of the lighthouses we have visited to make sure they didn't start to blend together in our memory.
Second, we really enjoyed debating the unique features of each lighthouse and which were the best we have seen.
Also, quite frequently we would visit a lighthouse that was awe-inspiring, but somehow it never made it to the overall public's awareness as a great American beacon because it wasn't on the rocky coastline of Maine or in a well-known tropical paradise. After these visits, we wish there could be some way to throw attention to these great, "quiet" lights and throw praise on the dedicated people who love and care for them.
Finally, although there are many outstanding lighthouse Web sites out there, there was a belief we could create a new lighthouse site unique enough to justify its existence.
LighthouseRatings.comTM is our attempt to address all of these issues!
The Scoring System:
Obviously, the most unique aspect of this Web site is the Lighthouse Scoring System it utilizes.
In coming up with this scoring system, we wanted to really concentrate on what in essence makes up a great lighthouse excursion and try to be as objective as humanly possible!
The Lighthouse Rating.com TM's Lighthouse Scores were comprised by taking into account what we believe are the top seven factors (listed below) that contribute to a great lighthouse adventure. We then rate each lighthouse on a scale of 1 to 5 for each factor, thus comprising a total score.
Lighthouses that score between 30 - 35 points are rated a Platinum Light!
Lighthouses that score between 25 - 29 points are rated a Gold Light!
Lighthouses that score below 25 points are rated a Silver Light!
Please note: This scoring system is meant to highlight and create interest and dialogue in lighthouses in general. Please let us stress that even the lower-scoring lighthouses are still national treasures and deserve our respect, support and appreciation!
Also, it is important that you view these scores in the manner they are meant to be viewed. Please DO NOT think of these three categories as a bell curve, with Platinum Lights being the top 25% of the bell curve, Gold Lights being the middle 50% and Silver Lights being the bottom 25%. Thinking of the scoring in this way is incorrect.
The proper way to understand these scores is to think of each lighthouse scoring in the following manner:
Think of lighthouses that have scored in the Platinum Light rankings as being in the top 5% of lighthouses in America -- the cream of the crop!
Think of those lighthouses that have been scored as Gold Lights as being in the 90th-95th percentile range of all lighthouses in America.
And think of lighthouses scored in the Silver Lights section as being in the 89th percentile and below.
Also understand that the vast majority of lights we have visited fall into the Silver category. We purposely have "top loaded" the list on our Web site to make your visit to our site more enjoyable!
Historic Significance Score: 1~5
Someone once called lighthouses in our country "America's castles." These
castles are very rich in history, and therefore Historic Significance must be
taken into account. This criterion will distinguish between a Boston Light,
which has taken part in the American Revolution, from another light that sits
on a small lake and was built a few years ago.
The points will be awarded as follows:
Note: Slight consideration will be given only to borderline cases if there
are some historical artifacts within the immediate area of the lighthouse.
For example, if there is a lighthouse museum with a first order Fresnel lens
or an authentic letter from a historic figure on the wall.
Majesty Score: 1~5
During a lighthouse visit to western Michigan, my group visited both Big Sable Point and Little Sable Point Lighthouses.
Understanding that the origins of these names were taken from the land masses
the lighthouses stand on and not their dimensions as lighthouses, everyone
thought Little Sable Point Lighthouse was significantly taller than Big Sable
Point Lighthouse. When checking the actual heights later, we were surprised
to discover the opposite was true. The Majesty rating pertains to how "BIG" a
lighthouse carries itself when you see it in person, something Web photos
cannot always tell you. This is not necessarily pertaining only to a
lighthouse's height but also to a lighthouse's presence. We rate this topic
as follows:
Preservation Score: 1~5
This score pertains to how well a lighthouse and its grounds are preserved.
It could be the difference between enjoying a lunch, sitting on the grass or
watching your step for falling debris and other hazards. It could be the
difference between a well-painted picturesque lighthouse or one that is
in need of repair. We score this topic as follows:
It is again necessary to mention that this consideration is in no way a reflection on the true value of any lighthouse. The score is provided to help visitors know what to expect prior to visiting a lighthouse. The lighthouses in poor condition need our help and deserve our support the most. Please see our Endangered Lights page for lighthouses you can help!
Surrounding Area Score: 1~5
This is a much-needed score. It was comprised after a lighthouse trip where we
almost felt we were in physical danger while visiting a lighthouse in a bad
area. This is another piece of information that current lighthouse Web sites
do not address. It pertains to the immediate area and towns surrounding the
lighthouse property. Likewise, anyone who has ever visited Block Island
(below) will understand what we are noting in a very positive sense. Pay close
attention to this score if you want to take day trips and stay around the
location. High scores will mean a pleasurable trip! We score as follows:
Water View Score: 1~5
How can those who love lighthouses not love the water they look out upon?
Part of a lighthouse's endearment is how it protects and guides all those on
the water and stands out on the edge of land serving as a monument of
protection. A very large part of an enjoyable lighthouse visit can be the
lighthouse's water view. It can be the difference between spotting the
ocean's horizon or not seeing water at all. It can be the difference between
roaring ocean hitting rocks all around you and a lighthouse that sits on
stagnant water. We rate this important category as follows:
It became necessary to add a second tier for Water View scoring. These are
focused around lighthouses that have water view within a one- or two-block
walk, but the water view is not visible from the light. The scoring will
start with a 3 as the highest-possible score and be scored as follows:
Accessibility Score: 1~5
This is another major consideration in making a great lighthouse trip. Can
the little kid in us climb the 175 steps in the tower to be on top on the
world -- or at least to get a good look at the beacon? This part of the
rating score is for all those who took long trips only to see a road blocked
off by a "Private Property" sign. If this has happened to you, don't feel too
bad. We have seen some state government sponsored Web sites offer a certain lighthouse as a tourist
attraction and don't even realize it is restricted to visitors. We rate this
category as follows:
Note: Traveling costs are never considered in this measure. However, if there
is a case on the borderline of a score in this criterion, we could take into
account whether or not there is an extremely expensive admission fee to reach
the lighthouse.
Beacon Score: 1~5
Finally, this score is for everyone who stayed at a lighthouse until after
dusk to see the lighthouse's focused beam cut through the night! Realizing
that an active lighthouse can add tons of enjoyment to your excursion, we
rate a lighthouse as follows regarding its present beacon::
Note: This specifically speaks to the light in the tower. If the light is
displayed in the keepers house, it will rate a 1.
Conclusion:
It is our sincere attempt to create an objective scoring system for lighthouses that will help the vast amount of travelers and lighthouse enthusiasts plan their trips.
We suggest visitors really learn how to utilize these pages and cater them to their own tastes. For example, there could be two different lighthouses that both rate a 28. One has scored 5 points for Historical Significance and 1 point on Water View. The other lighthouse scored the exact opposite. Both have the same net score, but a beach-lover and a history teacher will enjoy the one that caters to his or her taste best. Our sorting feature was designed to aid visitors to cater to their tastes.
We take great pride in the quality of our Web site and will make every effort to provide a great lighthouse site with significant information and beautiful pictures for the enjoyment of all who visit.
We have taken great measures to make this an enjoyable site for our visitors, including securing our own domain so as not to have annoying "pop-up" ads. We also pride ourselves on the quality of our scanned pictures and the usefulness of our information. In fact, all the lighthouses that are listed on this Web site were visited (or revisited) after October 2001 to ensure the most updated information.
Looking at the countless lighthouses we have scored -- the majority of them not posted yet -- there might be cases where we would like to tweak their ratings a bit, but we will stay true to the scoring.
We hope you will enjoy and appreciate this Web site and that our many goals were accomplished!
Happy lighthouse hunting to all!
This Web Site Represents the Opinions of its owners. Lighthouse Ratings.com'sTM Inc., Scores, Rating Systems,Trademark Logos, Pictures and Individual Content may not be used in any way without the express written consent of the proprietors of this site. ©2002 Lighthouse Ratings.com, Inc. All rights reserved.
