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Welcome the virtual tour of Point Sur.



Carpenter/Blacksmith Shop

Number One on the virtual tour map is the Carpenter/Blacksmith Shop. Built in 1907, the building is divided into a wooden-floored carpenter's shop and a cement-floored blacksmith shop. Paint and varnish supplies were kept on the carpenter side, and small carpentry projects were done here. Metal repairs, including those done to the intricate piping system at Pt. Sur, were done with a portable forge on the blacksmith side. The Carpenter/Blacksmith Shop was the first building restored at Pt. Sur; the restoration was completed in 1999.(See " Restoration in Progress, the Carpenter/Blacksmith Shop" )
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Barn

Two on the tour map is the Barn. The Barn was built around 1900, probably after the road to the top was completed. Various animals were kept here, often including a horse and a cow. A deck next to the ocean-side doors also adjoined a small paddock cut into the hillside, and gave the animals a little more room than their cliff-side home might otherwise have given them. The deck failed in the 1930s, probably because it was built on fill dirt that came from leveling off the building site. Later, the upper floor, which had been a hayloft, was converted into the station recreation room complete with pool table and the station television set (1950s). The lower floor was reconfigured into a garage and storage area. In 1998, the barn suffered considerable damage from El Nino storms. Though leaning badly, it was pulled upright and completely restored to its barn design in 2000 and the deck was rebuilt.(See " Restoration in Progress, the Barn" )
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Assistant Keepers' Quarters

Three on the map is the [Assistant] Keepers' Quarters or Triplex. One of the original buildings from 1889, it first housed all of the keepers and their families. The quarters were designed so that one keeper and family lived in a self-contained apartment on the south end of the building and three keepers with their families on the north end. The north side quarters shared a kitchen and a set of stairs to the upper floors. It was probably assumed that at the 2nd and/or 3rd assistant keepers would be single men. Another kitchen was installed soon after the first keepers moved in. A bathroom was installed in 1908 on the third floor for use by three keepers and families. A chronic overcrowded condition occurred because there were four keepers and families living on the station. The Head Keeper was given his own dwelling in 1902. The inside walls of the Triplex have been moved and changed many times over the years. There are now three individual quarters in this building. In 2003 the roof was replaced and the upper floors were seismically stabilized. The entire building will be restored in the future.
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Head Keeper's House

Four on the tour map is the Head Keeper's House. Originally built as one-story in 1889, it housed coal and the steam-powered donkey engine which powered the tram system that moved people and supplies to the top of Pt. Sur. Point Sur received supplies via lighthouse tenders (see "Over The Years" ) from 1889 until 1936. Until a road to the top was built in 1900, food, fuel and supplies were hoisted up to the top on flat railcars, and then down over the other side to the lighthouse. In 1902 a second story was added to the engine house and the structure was converted to the head keeper's quarters. The building has been stabilized and some restoration work has begun. The 1930s era wash room addition was rebuilt and the historic windows restored in 2004.
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Cistern

Cistern


Seven on the virtual tour map is the Cistern. When construction began on the Pt. Sur Lightstation in 1887, the cistern was the first structure built. It originally held 55,000 gallons of water pumped from a well in the sand flats at the base of the rock. The brick-lined reservoir is 18 feet across and reaches 12 feet below ground. Water has always been important at Pt. Sur, not only for the keepers' needs but also to run the steam-driven fog signal (before 1910). Water storage was critical with the wet and dry seasons typical of California. After the water tower was built next to the triplex in 1908, for fresh water storage and pressure for toilet flushing, the cistern held non-potable water for other needs. Water was fed by gravity into the cistern from a well in the higher hills east of the rock. The cistern is being studied for possible future use in a fire suppression system.

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Lighthouse

Lighthouse


Nine on the tour map is the Lighthouse. At Point Sur, limited space required combining the lamp tower, oil room and fog signal room into one building. The lamp tower is 40 feet tall, with the lamp itself sitting 270 feet above sea level. Later, improvements brought a gas-powered electric generator to turn the lens and light the lamp. The northernmost room originally housed steam boilers that powered the fog signals. The southern end of the lighthouse structure was used for fuel storage. It also served as the watch-room, housing twin regulator clocks used to time the radio beacon. The light at Pt. Sur serves its original purpose and is still an active aid-to-navigation. (See " Restoration in Progress, the Lantern Room" )

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Thank You For Taking Our Tour.