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The Old Point Loma Lighthouse, located in San Diego, California, was built between 1854-1855, as the first in a series of eight lighthouses along the coastline from California to Washington. The plan was made to create a series of lighthouses along the Pacific Coastline shortly after The United States Government acquired Spanish California. This particular lighthouse, designed by architect Ammi B. Young, first gained attention because it was the highest in the nation when it was completed, at a height of 462 feet above sea level. The Lighthouse is located on the Cabrillo National Monument, a site that is dedicated to the landing of Spanish explorer Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo on September 28, 1542. The flame inside the lighthouse was first ignited on November 18, 1855, but it soon became obvious that the lighthouse was useless as a guiding signal, due to the heavy fog that often surrounded San Diego Bay. Because of that, the flame was put out, and the lighthouse abandoned, on March 23, 1891. To light the flame, and keep it lit from a steady source, a combination of colza, lard oil, kerosene, and sperm oil were used. The original lens and lantern for the signal was purchased for a sum of $3,810 from a manufacturer in Paris, France. This first flame was visible out to sea (on nights when it was not foggy) for up to 28 miles away. Not too long after the lighthouse began operation, the lens broke, requiring the installation of an emergency replacement lens that had originally been constructed for the lighthouse in Humboldt Harbor, further up the California coastline.

After the abandonment of the Point Loma Lighthouse, it sat unclaimed until President Woodrow Wilson declared it a National Monument in 1931, and the subsequent purchase of the facility in 1935 by the National Park Service. The need for a useful lighthouse, though, continued on, and the same year that the Old Point Loma Lighthouse was extinguished, a new, steel-skeleton lighthouse was constructed (and still used to present day), at only 88 feet above sea level. This lower height made the new light much more visible through the fog, even though it's visibility was only 15 miles out to sea, instead of the original 28 miles.

Today, the Old Point Loma Lighthouse stands as a tourist attraction and museum. The interior architecture of the structure is heavily influenced by the Spanish rule of the era, with Spanish tiles located throughout. The tower was re-lit only once, in 1984, as part of a ceremony commemorating the building's 130th birthday. It was the first lighting in 93 years. Plans are still being made for the complete refurbishment of the Old Point Loma Lighthouse, and until those plans are completed, a fourth lens is currently on display in the lighthouse's museum.