[Constitution Day]

Interesting.

Don't beacons today flash at set intervals in the same way, though?

[StarfireIV]

I don't think many of them do. I know that in the state in which I used to reside, the beacon was put out in the late 1940's. The fresnel for Barnegat Lighthouse, Long Beach Island NJ, is now in a museum about 5 blocks away from the light. There is also another First Order Fresnel (Each "order" was based on the internal diameter of the lens with 1st being around 6', 2nd was about 5', etc.) in the Franklin Museum in Philadelphia. That one is still on its bronze roller equipped turntable and can be moved with just the push of a finger.