Dive Into N. Oregon Coast's Desdemona Shipwreck / Lighthouse at Seaside Event

Published 11/11/25 at 6:35 p.m.
By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Seaside, Oregon) – Shipwrecks are a dime a dozen in that Washington / Oregon coast area known as the Graveyard of the Pacific. Some stand out, however.

This month's History & Hops presentation dives into the storied past of Desdemona, from shipwreck to shoal, lighthouse to local lore. It's an Oregon coast tale not told often outside the circles of locals. The talk happens on November 20 at the Seaside Brewing Co., starting at 6 p.m.

Hosted by the Seaside Museum & Historical Society, the event features guest speakers Lauri Serafin and Eric Wheeler, who will explore the maritime and cultural history surrounding the ill-fated bark Desdemona, which met its demise on the Columbia River in 1857.

The talk will trace the vessel’s legacy through the naming of Desdemona Sands, the construction of the Desdemona Sands Lighthouse, and the unique practice of horse seining once common on the shoals.

The evening concludes with a look at the Uppertown Co-op Boarding House, established in 1888 and now known as the Desdemona Club - an iconic Astoria landmark.

Serafin and Wheeler, both board members of the Lower Columbia Preservation Society (LCPS), bring deep expertise to the topic. Wheeler is a noted architectural historian, while Serafin advocates for historic preservation with a focus on interior design. Together, they co-host the monthly lecture series “LCPS Presents,” held the second Tuesday of each month at Pacific Distillery in Astoria.

Those attending are encouraged to arrive early to secure seating and enjoy the menu at Seaside Brewing Co., which co-sponsors the event alongside the Seaside Museum and the Seaside Public Library.

Astoria decades ago

Founded in 1974, the Seaside Museum & Historical Society is a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving and interpreting the history and culture of Seaside and the surrounding region. The museum is open Wednesday through Saturday, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Emily Halverson at 503-738-7065 during museum hours.

The name Desdemona still resonates on both the Oregon coast and Washington coast.

The bark Desdemona was constructed in Maine, and on New Years Day of 1857 it ran aground on a shoal near the Columbia River. The vessel's captain had attempted to reach Astoria without the assistance of a bar pilot. While the entire crew was rescued, one man tragically drowned during the operation. Deck cargo was swept away, but some of the stowed goods were salvaged and transported to Astoria.

The site of the wreck was thereafter named Desdemona Sands in honor of the ill-fated vessel.

Courtesy Angi D Wildt Gallery, Astoria

Several decades later, the U.S. Lighthouse Service erected the Desdemona Sands Lighthouse in 1902 to replace the dismantled Point Adams Lighthouse near the river's mouth. Notably, it was among the final wooden straight-pile lighthouses constructed in the United States. The station was deactivated in 1934 and fully hammered away by 1945.

Following the lighthouse's demolition that year, a light beacon was installed in its place. The original Fresnel lens was relocated to the Mukilteo Light Station museum in Puget Sound. The beacon itself was decommissioned in 1964. Today, remnants of broken pilings on the shoal serve as the only visible markers of the former lighthouse site.

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