+----------------------------+------------------+---+-------------------+
| National Park Service      | Cabrillo         |   | 1800 Cabrillo     |
|                            | National         |   | Memorial Drive    |
| U.S. Department of the     | Monument         |   |                   |
| Interior                   |                  |   | San Diego, CA     |
|                            | Use the complete |   | 92106             |
|                            | site name here   |   |                   |
|                            | (e.g. Palo Alto  |   | \(619\) 557-5450  |
|                            | Battlefield      |   | phone             |
|                            | Historic Site).  |   |                   |
|                            |                  |   | \(619\) 222-8211  |
|                            |                  |   | TTY               |
|                            |                  |   |                   |
|                            |                  |   | \(619\) 226-6311  |
|                            |                  |   | fax               |
+----------------------------+------------------+---+-------------------+

![](media/image1.png){width="0.5597222222222222in"
height="0.7201388888888889in"}

**CABRILLO News Release**

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------
  Use a "short-hand" version of the site name here (e.g. Palo Alto
  Battlefield not Palo Alto Battlefield National Historical Site).

  -----------------------------------------------------------------------

Release date: Immediate

Contact: Karl M. Pierce, Public Information Officer

Phone number: 619-523-4562

Email:
[Karl_Pierce@nps.gov](mailto:CABR_Chief_of_Interpretation@nps.gov)

Date: November 9, 2006

**National Park Service to Celebrate 151st Birthday of the Old Point
Loma Lighthouse at Cabrillo National Monument**

San Diego, CA - Superintendent Terry DiMattio today invited everyone to
a birthday celebration in honor of the 151^st^ anniversary of the first
lighting of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse. The celebration will take
place on Wednesday, November 15, 2006 from 10:00 AM until 5:00 PM at
Cabrillo National Monument, San Diego's only unit of the National Park
System, on Point Loma and promises to be a day of learning and fun for
the entire family.

The day\'s festivities will include tours of the Old Point Loma
Lighthouse, including the tower, lantern and gallery, from 10:00 AM
until 3:30 PM, living history with staff and volunteers in 19^th^
century period attire, films about lighthouses and the Junior Ranger
program for young people. The monument's *The Lighthouses of Point Loma*
exhibit about San Diego's three lighthouses -- Old Point Loma, Ballast
Point and Point Loma - will be open from 9:00 AM until 5:00 PM. Films
about lighthouses will be shown in the visitor center auditorium
throughout the day. This annual crowd-pleaser is one of two days each
year when the tower of the Old Lighthouse is opened to the public. It
marks 151 years that the venerable lighthouse has stood watch on the
cliffs overlooking San Diego Bay. The Cabrillo National Monument
Foundation, which is celebrating 50 years of supporting interpretive,
educational and scientific activities as Cabrillo National Monument's
non-profit cooperating association, will sell books, calendars and other
lighthouse memorabilia in the visitor center bookstore.

Stated DiMattio, "this year marks the 151^st^ anniversary of the day
this magnificent San Diego icon, one of the first eight lighthouses on
the West Coast, which went into operation on November 15, 1855. This is
a special opportunity to learn what life was like for the Lighthouse
Keepers, Assistant Keepers and families at the Old Point Loma Lighthouse
during the 1880s, and about the role that the lighthouse played in the
development of San Diego's and California's early maritime commerce.
Visitors will enjoy the spectacular harbor and ocean views and the
restored lighthouse grounds. This event will be enjoyed by lighthouse
aficionados and those interested in local history, as well as families
looking for a fun and educational time together.\"

Cabrillo National Monument, located on Point Loma at the end of Catalina
Boulevard, is open daily from 9:00 AM until 5:15 PM. Public
transportation (#28 Bus) is available from the Old Town Transit Center.
For additional information call 619-557-5450 or TTY 619-222-8211, or
visit our web site at
[http://www.nps.gov/cabr/](http://www.nps.gov/cabr).

\# \# -NPS- \# \#