1884: An Engineer Sparks the Process for Building a Lighthouse in Portugal

June 21, 1884

In Portugal, an engineer named Ricardo Peyroteu formally proposed the construction of a lighthouse to help safely guide vessels in the country’s southernmost region. Peyroteu submitted this proposal to the General Directorate of Posts, Telegraphs and Lighthouses of the Kingdom of Portugal. (At the time, Portugal was a constitutional monarchy.)

Construction on this lighthouse was eventually undertaken on a promontory known as Ponta do Altar, which is located in the civil parish of Ferragudo. This is part of the area where the mouth of the river Arade empties into the Atlantic Ocean.

The Ponta do Altar Lighthouse first went into service on New Year’s Day in 1893. Peyroteu’s design plans used for building this structure were indeed unique, with the lighthouse — painted white with a red-tiled roof — bearing a close resemblance to a schoolhouse.   

Measuring 33 feet (10 meters) in height, the Ponta do Altar Lighthouse remains in operation today. It has been automated since 1992.

Photo Credit: JotaCartas (licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license at https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/deed.en)

For more information on the Ponta do Altar Lighthouse, please check out https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ponta_do_Altar_Lighthouse