A USLHS CHAPTER
Visitor Information
General
Grounds + Lighthouse: Tinsley Island, where the lighthouse sits, is owned and maintained by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Please contact them for more information. Access to the lighthouse is typically limited to guests staying in the lighthouse.
415-563-6363
Nearby Attractions
Directions
-
To reach the lighthouse from Interstate 5 north of Stockton, take Eight Mile Road west seven miles until it ends at a ferry.
-
Near the ferry are the remnants of Herman and Helen's Marina from which you could formerly rent a boat or seek other means of transportation to Tinsley Island, which is just a mile or two south of the marina. ​
-
King Island Marina, located two miles east of the ferry is the closest marina to Tinsley Island now.
History
Southampton Shoal is a hazard between Angel Island and Richmond in the heart of San Francisco Bay. While the shoal was noted early on to be a threat to ship traffic, a lighthouse was not built until 1905 and equipped with a 5th order fresnel lens. The lighthouse was constructed as an elaborate wooden dwelling with balconies and a storage area located below the lighthouse.
​
The lighthouse was supported by concrete cylinders which were damaged only a year after the lighthouse was lit as a result of the 1906 earthquake. The foundations were promptly
strengthened and the light and fog signal were later upgraded.
​
In 1960, the last keepers left the station, and 6 years later, the upper portions of the lighthouse were lifted by cranes off of the shoal and moved to Tinsley Island, which is owned by the St. Francis Yacht Club. The lighthouse is now used as a vacation residence for club members. The pilings of the lighthouse are still visible off Angel Island, and the 5th order lens is located in the museum on on Angel Island.