Bolivar gets recognition in the Smithsonian Museum

by Dan Jacobs
I’m sure many folks are aware of it, but I had no clue. Teresa and I were walking through the Smithsonian in February, turned the corner, and there was a lighthouse light. Of course I’m interested in lighthouses because of my relationship with Bolivar. Little did I know until I read furhter that this was actually part of our little corner of the world. The lens was from the Bolivar Point Lighthouse. In the Smithsonian! I got goosebumps.

Teresa and Dan at the Smithsonian Museum in front of the Bolivar Point Lighthouse lens

The lens was installed in the Bolivar Point Lighthouse from 1907 to 1933. It is a Fresnel lens, named for French scientist Augustin Fresnel. He designed an array of lenses and prisms that vastly improved the effectiveness of lighthouses in the 19th century. Fresnel lenses diffused lamplight into a beam that could be seen for miles.

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One Response to “Bolivar gets recognition in the Smithsonian Museum”

  1. JP Jacks says:
    August 31, 2022 at 3:25 PM

    Was this lens manufactured by the company of Augustin Henry-Lepaute ?

    Reply

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