The United States is offering ten American lighthouses for new owners. The lighthouses have stood along ocean and lake coasts for generations to help guide and protect ship and boat travel. The General Services Administration (GSA) operates the lighthouse release program. It aims to preserve the properties. Most of the buildings are more than 100 years old. Modern technology, including satellites, means lighthouses are no longer required for navigation, said John Kelly of GSA. And while the Coast Guard often keeps aids to navigation at or near the lighthouses, the structures themselves mostly go unused.

美国正在为新主人提供十座美国灯塔。几代人以来，灯塔一直矗立在海洋和湖泊沿岸，帮助引导和保护船只航行。总务管理局 (GSA) 负责执行灯塔发布计划。它的目的是保护财产。大多数建筑物的历史都超过 100 年。 GSA 的约翰·凯利 (John Kelly) 说，包括卫星在内的现代技术意味着导航不再需要灯塔。虽然海岸警卫队经常在灯塔或灯塔附近放置航标，但这些结构本身大多未被使用。

Yet the public likes to visit the tall, bright white towers. Many are popular with tourists, and are also subjects of photographs, paintings and other art. The GSA has been changing ownership of lighthouses since Congress passed the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2000. About 150 lighthouses have changed ownership, 80 or so given away and another 70 sold. The program has raised more than $10 million.

然而，公众喜欢参观高大、明亮的白色塔楼。许多深受游客欢迎，也是摄影、绘画和其他艺术的题材。自国会于 2000 年通过《国家历史灯塔保护法》以来，GSA 一直在改变灯塔的所有权。大约 150 座灯塔改变了所有权，其中 80 座左右被赠予，另外 70 座被出售。该计划已筹集了超过 1000 万美元。

This year, six lighthouses are being offered at no cost to federal, state, or local government agencies, nonprofits, educational organizations, or other groups. New owners must agree and be able to make repairs and preserve the buildings. They also have to make the lighthouses available to the public for educational, recreational, or cultural purposes.↳ The buildings offered include the 10.4-meter tall Plymouth/Gurnet Light in Massachusetts. The eight-sided wooden structure dates to 1842. But, a lighthouse has been at the site since 1768. The site was the first to employ a woman as lighthouse keeper. John Kelly’s personal favorite of the structures is Warwick Neck Light, in Warwick, Rhode Island. The 15.5-meter-tall lighthouse dates to 1827. It was an important navigation tool for sea travelers making their way to Providence, Rhode Island.

今年，有六座灯塔免费提供给联邦、州或地方政府机构、非营利组织、教育组织或其他团体。新业主必须同意并能够进行维修和保护建筑物。他们还必须向公众开放灯塔，用于教育、娱乐或文化目的。↳ 提供的建筑物包括马萨诸塞州 10.4 米高的普利茅斯/戈内特灯塔。八面木结构的历史可追溯至 1842 年。但是，自 1768 年以来，这里就有一座灯塔。该地点是第一个雇用女性担任灯塔管理员的地点。 John Kelly 个人最喜欢的结构是位于罗得岛州沃里克的 Warwick Neck Light。这座 15.5 米高的灯塔可追溯至 1827 年。它是海上旅客前往罗德岛普罗维登斯的重要导航工具。

Other lighthouses being offered at no cost include Lynde Point Lighthouse in Old Saybrook, Connecticut and Erie Harbor North Pier Lighthouse in Pennsylvania. Nonprofits already care for some of the lighthouses. The groups can request to continue doing so, Kelly said. If a new owner is not found for a lighthouse, it goes on market to be sold for the highest price offered. Four lighthouses are to be sold this year. Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Light in Ohio is one of them. The 15.5-meter steel tower was built in 1911 and rises above Lake Erie. The property can be reached by boat only but provides an extensive view of Cleveland’s skyline. Some lighthouse owners have made the buildings their private homes and enjoy the unusual living situation. The lighthouses “all have their own interesting history,” Kelly said.

其他免费提供的灯塔包括康涅狄格州老塞布鲁克的林德角灯塔和宾夕法尼亚州的伊利港北码头灯塔。非营利组织已经在关注一些灯塔。凯利说，这些团体可以要求继续这样做。如果找不到灯塔的新主人，它就会进入市场以最高价格出售。今年将出售四座灯塔。俄亥俄州的克利夫兰港西码头灯塔就是其中之一。这座 15.5 米高的钢塔建于 1911 年，高耸于伊利湖之上。该物业只能乘船抵达，但可以欣赏到克利夫兰天际线的广阔景色。一些灯塔业主将这些建筑作为自己的私人住宅，享受着不寻常的居住环境。灯塔“都有自己有趣的历史，”凯利说。