Way Back When: Tremor Fells Mesa Lighthouse

A lot of attention was focused on the damage caused by the June 29 earthquake along State Street in 1925, but the quake also leveled an important building on the Mesa.

“Santa Barbara’s lighthouse went down in the earthquake crash Monday morning, and in its destruction, one of the oldest landmarks of the Pacific Coast was ruined. One of the miraculous escapes of the earthquake was that of Mrs. H.A. Weeks, the keeper, and her children, living on the second floor of the lighthouse building.

“The first shock badly damaged the building, but Mrs. Weeks and her family remained. During the second shock, she rushed out with her family, just in time to hear the light tower crash through the roof of the rooms they had left.” – Santa Barbara Morning Press, July 1, 1925