On a clear day, one place you want to be at in San Pedro is Point Fermin Park, off of Paseo Del Mar. It’s a grassy park that rests on top of cliffs that overlook the ocean where, on a clear day, you can catch a glimpse of Catalina Island. 

What makes the park so distinctive, however, is the white paneled, Victorian lighthouse built in 1874 towards the end of the park. 

It’s why I chose Point Fermin as a place of interest. It’s living history of when ships entering the San Pedro Bay didn’t have the luxury of modern day technology to help with navigation.

When I parked at Point Fermin Park, I knew I had missed the last tour of the day for the lighthouse. The grounds surrounding the structure was open, so I thought I would wander around to take photographs and chat with any passerby or staff. 

Sitting behind the counter in the visitor’s entrance office was a young woman who greeted me with a smile. After she confirmed that there were no more tours available, I asked if I could speak to someone about the lighthouse.

Turns out, I could speak to her.

Tennessee Mills-who appreciated my location name- worked at the Point Fermin Lighthouse for three years after she finished her undergraduate schooling at the University of Kentucky. As she struggled to decide which master’s program she wanted to pursue, she headed back to San Pedro (though her home is in Palos Verdes) and was hired on spot at the lighthouse. 

The Point Fermin Lighthouse may seem like a random decision, but for a woman that took her first steps outside the lighthouse and professed a love for whales as a child, it made sense.  

Mills asked if I wanted to join her as she locked up the windows and doors inside the lighthouse. 

So, I trailed behind her, soaking in the white walls, the lace curtains and wooden chairs. Photos are not allowed, so you’ll have to take my word for it. The lighthouse is beautiful. Stepping into the rooms felt like taking a step in the nineteenth century. According to Mills, 98 percent of the lighthouse has been preserved. 

The original lighthouse keepers of Point Fermin were sisters Mary and Ella Smith, who resigned from the position eight years later. On the day Pearl Harbor was bombed, Point Fermin turned its light off to ward off any enemies. It has kept its light off since.

Now, the Department of Recreation and Parks for Los Angeles City manage the lighthouse, while volunteers from the Point Fermin Lighthouse Society provide tours and help run the structure. 

To Mills, her coworkers are family. 

As we walked up the narrow, spiral staircase up the lighthouse, Mills spoke about the importance of preserving our environment, which in turn preserves our history and our culture. 

“If you love something, that’s very contagious,” Mills said.

It was clear to me that Mills loved the lighthouse as we stood side-by-side, quietly watching the water. It’s a view you can never get tired of, I said. Mills agreed.

Later, as she closed the windows and my impromptu tour began to end, I couldn’t help but ask if there were any spirit sightings within the lighthouse, hoping for a fun story or piece of folklore. 

Mills smiled and said there was none of that. She did say that she felt an energy.

“I feel warm.”