Lighthouse Passport Program Guide: Collect Stamps and Uncover History
Are you interested in Lighthouses? I sure am. I have lived near the east coast for most of my life and there is an allure about them that is wholly unique. While they are straight forward in their purpose, the number and shear variety are amazing. Did you know there were over 700 lighthouses in the United States and Canada?
Given the attraction of these structures, I was glad to learn about the United States Lighthouse Society Passport program. The program is a unique way to learn about these historic buildings, remember your visits, but also a way to support their restoration and preservation for future generations.
What is the Lighthouse Passport Program?
Similar to the National Park Passport Cancellation program, the lighthouse program provides ink stamps at historic locations to allow you to record your visit to these historic structures. We have seen the stamps during many of our visits to National Park locations.
The lighthouse program was started in 1994 as a way to enhance the mission of the United States Lighthouse Society’s mission. As a non-profit, proceeds from the sale of passport stamp books, donations and membership dues all help their efforts to educate, preserve and restore lighthouses.
Participating in the program
Where do you find lighthouse stamps?
If you are National Park Passport stamp collector, you may have already tumbled upon them by chance, just like we have. Several NPS sites include lighthouses, like Biscayne National Park, Fire Island National Seashore and Fort Monroe National Monument.
The USLHS produces a free list of all the lighthouse passport stamp locations, which can be a great help. The society also offers an online membership ($25/year) that provides an even better more in-depth list of all lighthouse stamp locations.
Where do you put the stamps?
You can put them anywhere, really. Before we understood the program, we put them in our extra pages in our National Park Passport. Note, they ask that you provide a donation of $2 for each stamp that will go to their preservation efforts.
The U.S. Lighthouse society does sell books that accommodate the lighthouse stamps. Each lighthouse passport book allows you to hold 60 stamp and is also tied to their ‘Hall of Fame’ program (more on that later.) You can usually buy them at the local gift shops and also at their online store for about $16.
Benefits for Passport Holders
The online membership provides several benefits that can be useful if you take on this quest:
- Discounts on collectible stamps
- Subscription to “Stamp Flashes” newsletter
- Access to an online community forum
- Detailed stamp location database
- Ability to track lighthouse visits online
- Register for USLHS tours
All this and you get a warm fuzzy feeling for helping to support preservation activities of this non-profit organization!
What can you get by collecting Lighthouse stamps?
Each book you fill with 60 stamps, you can email the lighthouse passport club to get a completion patch and a mention on their Hall of Fame board on the website.
With over 700 stamps, that means you have twelve passport levels you can achieve. Members get the patches for free, and non-member will pay $5 per patch.
How to get started with collecting Lighthouse stamps
The program is very flexible and allows you to go at your own pace and speed.
- The simplest way to get stated collecting lighthouse stamps is to just go visit some lighthouses! With over 700 sites, in 34 US states and 9 international locations, there is bound to be one close to where you are located or someplace you can visit on your next trip.
- The next step is to purchase a lighthouse passport stamp book from the society’s webpage or at a gift shop at the site you are visiting.
- You can also join the membership club and engage with other members on their forum.
Where can I find a list of all the lighthouse stamps
The best place to look for a complete list of lighthouse stamp locations is by visiting the USLHS online. Note that the free list is just a name of the site, and if you want a list with more details about each lighthouse you should join their membership club to gain access to their database.
United States Lighthouse Society
The USLHS was established in 1984 with the mission of preserving, restoring and sharing the history of America’s lighthouses. This non-profit organization works closely with historians, educators, politicians and the public to help in its mission.
Included in their outreach they have a preservation grants program, provide resources for lighthouse research, educational programs for schools, produce a stamp flashes newsletter for their members, and of course a passport stamp program for the lighthouse enthusiast community.
State Park Passport Program
Looking for something more than just the Lighthouse Passport program? Did you also know that there are 25 different State Park Passport programs, as well? See if your state is on the list!
