# Lighthouses on Lawns **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [February 10, 2024, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388 "2024-02-10T11:56:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 11:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/1 "2024-02-10T11:56:41Z")
Since I have returned to the United States, and since I have moved to Pennsylvania, I have noticed a lot of people have lighthouses on their front yards. Maybe they have always been there. Maybe the practice is widespread. **Is there a reason for this? Some secret meaning?** I would like to think it is a secret society, it is the romantic in me. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 12:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/2 "2024-02-10T12:56:06Z")
I only know one person who has one and he loves the ocean. I don’t think there is any meaning beyond that. I live in coastal New England and they are quite common. And highly variable in cost and quality. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/3 "2024-02-10T13:09:28Z")
Yes, when I Googled it, there are a lot of companies selling these things. Some very elaborate and expensive. ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/4 "2024-02-10T14:05:07Z")
It seems to be predominantly a Pennsylvania thing. I just googled it as well, because I didn’t even know what the OP was talking about. All of the stores selling them were in PA. There are also a lot of them advertised as 100% Amish-made. I don’t know if the Amish make them because they are popular in PA or if they are popular in PA because the Amish make them. But, there might be something there. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Mouse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mighty_mouse/32/7776_2.png) [@Mighty\_Mouse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Mouse)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/5 "2024-02-10T14:38:40Z")
It’s because Amish made is a fetish among the kind of people who put lighthouses on their lawns. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/6 "2024-02-10T14:46:37Z")
> [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](#): > > I have noticed a lot of people have lighthouses on their front yards. > […] > **Is there a reason for this? Some secret meaning?** I would like to think it is a secret society, Yes, those are members of the Illuminati. _ **Light** _ house? Pretty obvious, really. I think it’s just that some people like to put kitschy things on their lawns. I see a lot of miniature decorative old-fashioned wells around here, with the little roof over a tiny winch and bucket. The kind that Jack and Jill went up the hill to use. Now, if you see a house flying a flag with a pineapple on it, especially an upside-down pineapple, that _ **is** _ a secret meaning, but one which you can Google if you don’t already know. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/7 "2024-02-10T15:28:00Z")
> [@solost](#): > > Now, if you see a house flying a flag with a pineapple on it, especially an upside-down pineapple, that _ **is** _ a secret meaning, but one which you can Google if you don’t already know. I only learned of this last week. I hate the third Wednesday of the month. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 3:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/8 "2024-02-10T15:34:09Z")
They may have spread from my area. Monmouth and Ocean counties of New Jersey have always had said. There’s a roadside store on Rt. 35 in Middletown that was selling them in the 70s when I was a kid and still are today. I feel like every garden shop in the area that sells lawn decorations in the area will have a selection. There’s a working one across the street from me here, but I now live in a Bayshore town. I have a lighthouse night table lamp I made myself. We have a lighthouses tour weekend every year also. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/9 "2024-02-10T15:37:21Z")
Western Pennsylvania guy here. A few houses around here have an ocean/boating motif going on. Buoys, heavy rope railings, lighthouses, etc. Never thought much of it. ---
**Author:** ![Die\_Capacitrix](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/die_capacitrix/32/9_2.png) [@Die\_Capacitrix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Die_Capacitrix)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/10 "2024-02-10T15:48:00Z")
My brother-in-law, who is from the greater Philadelphia area, loves lighthouses. He’s got them in his house, has ornaments, etc. As far as I know, he doesn’t have one on his lawn. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/11 "2024-02-10T15:48:51Z")
They got tired of windmills, pink flamingos, metallic balls, bathtub madonnas, and the like. Lighthouses are just the next bit of lawn kitsch. And around here I’ve seen decorative outhouses on the front lawn. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 3:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/12 "2024-02-10T15:54:11Z")
It shows that the owner is well-off enough to bring home the beacon. ---
**Author:** ![Happy\_Lendervedder](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/happy_lendervedder/32/8488_2.png) [@Happy\_Lendervedder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Happy_Lendervedder)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/13 "2024-02-10T15:59:31Z")
I see more than a few of them here in West Michigan. We’ve got the real things all along the Lakeshore and they are quite popular as decor around here (paintings, photos, etc.). ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 4:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/14 "2024-02-10T16:05:19Z")
A guy down the shore from me a ways has a lighthouse in his front yard. The [Kevich Light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kevich_Light). It’s the 2nd highest lighthouse on Lake Michigan at 120 feet above lake level, and is one of only a handful of privately owned lighthouses in the US. It is active and used for navigation. [![](https://i.postimg.cc/43GtndF5/kevich-light.jpg) ](https://i.postimg.cc/43GtndF5/kevich-light.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/15 "2024-02-10T16:42:09Z")
Maybe they are just getting ready for rising sea levels? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/16 "2024-02-10T16:48:04Z")
Don’t be bitching about lighthouses. It’s an improvement on [dressing up](https://thedepotlakeviewohio.com/collections/goose-clothes-1) concrete or stone porch geese. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 4:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/17 "2024-02-10T16:52:10Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#): > > It’s an improvement on [dressing up](https://thedepotlakeviewohio.com/collections/goose-clothes-1) concrete or stone porch geese. Or Bathtub Marys. 😉 [![](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/06/73/67/1818062/6/rawImage.jpg) ](https://s.hdnux.com/photos/06/73/67/1818062/6/rawImage.jpg) _Edit: Oops, she was previously mentioned:_ > [@TriPolar](#): > > bathtub madonnas ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/18 "2024-02-10T17:14:24Z")
Lighthouses? Not gnomes? [![](https://media04.lokalkompass.de/article/2011/05/30/8/1593588_L.jpg?1560976336) ](https://media04.lokalkompass.de/article/2011/05/30/8/1593588_L.jpg?1560976336) That is how it is done in Germany. I remember driving into the Czech Republic in the '90s, shortly after the fall of the Wall, and they had discovered this spleen of the Germans and thought they could sell them some cheap. There were tousands upon thousands of those after the border for sale, just by the roadside, for a couple of kilometers. I guess today they are made in China. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/19 "2024-02-10T19:12:47Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > Western Pennsylvania guy here. A few houses around here have an ocean/boating motif going on. Buoys, heavy rope railings, lighthouses, etc. Never thought much of it. When I was a kid in coastal SoCal in the 1960s the boating & lighthouse motifs were pretty common. Common enough that nobody much noticed or cared. I think they’ve become mostly passé out there since. When I lived on a lake in Missouri many houses had that nautical kitcsh going on. Including lighthouses, some of which lit up, flashed, or rotated. What saw funny to me was how much of the kitsch there was deep sea saltwater crap totally inappropriate to a manmade freshwater lake 700 miles inland. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [February 10, 2024, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388/20 "2024-02-10T20:06:22Z")
Parma, Ohio is known for their pink flamingos. [https://www.facebook.com/PolishVillage/photos/a.413812751988656/982882345081691/?type=3](https://www.facebook.com/PolishVillage/photos/a.413812751988656/982882345081691/?type=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/lighthouses-on-lawns/997388.md?page=2)