The Mighty Quinn’s

By Mary Swift-Swan

Quinn’s Lighthouse Restaurant was first constructed in 1903 as the Oakland Harbor Entrance Lighthouse by the US Lighthouse Service. It cost $19,000 to replace the original 1890 structure, which had been badly damaged by marine borers. The building was first located on the north side of the entrance to the Oakland Estuary. It also served as a home for the lighthouse keepers and their families until the Lighthouse Service became part of the Coast Guard, in 1939. From 1939 until the entire structure was moved to its current location in 1965, attending lighthouse keepers’ families lived ashore.

Originally, the lantern room contained a 5th Order Fresnel lens, which produced a flashing white light every 5 seconds that could be seen for 14 miles. A giant 3,500 pound fog bell was located on the porch and struck every 5 seconds during periods of fog. In 1918, the fog signal was changed from a bell to an air powered diaphone for a signal which sounded a 2-second blast every 15 seconds.
Today’s Quinn’s was established in 1984, after a complete renovation of the building. Great care and respect were taken to preserve the structure and historic features of the building. Quinn’s owner Bodo Echichler shares the salty, rich history of Quinn’s with all patrons, providing them with free, salted peanuts a-plenty in the upstairs pub and there’s no penalty for throwing the shells on the floor.
L.J. Quinn’s Lighthouse Restaurant serves a wide variety of original and regional dishes, including many seafood and quality meat choices, several vegetarian options, and a well-received kids’ menu. Quinn’s is one of the all-time great places to get a burger. A Quinn Burger is so far beyond the normal definition of a great burger that it is just not fair to the competition. They also serve pitchers of “Arnold Palmer,” a true summer refresher combining ice tea and lemonade, plus there are many beers to choose from including 8 tap beers and 54 bottled varieties. With “Happy Hour” foods half off from 5-7 pm, M-F, and free Sea Chantey performances by those pirates Billy Bones every Thursday, it is a fun place to bring the whole family. Quinn’s is just a few miles from Jack London Square, along the Embarcadero, at 1951 Embarcadero Cove, Oakland. Call 510.536.2050, fax 510.532.4156, or e-mail: BodoAE@aol.com. For directions, go to www.quinnslighthouse.com.

Who was the Mighty Quinn?
The legend goes he was born September 7, 1857, as Richard Turner Quinn, the oldest son of Sir Robert Quinn, a British soldier, and Elizabeth Turner Quinn, a wealthy aristocrat.
Young Quinn proved to be a disappointment to his father, who wanted him to be a soldier. Richard preferred the pen and tended to spend hours writing. Woefully, his stories were rampant with plagiarism and he was forced to flee the Empire.

When he arrived at the immigration office, he was asked his name and trade. “I’m Quinn, the writer,” he replied. Unfortunately, the clerk thought he said fighter, so Richard was sent to Oakland to capture and kill the coast’s most notorious pirates, perilous Pete and his wife Mary Lou. They were widely feared and their sailing vessel, the Sea Jay, was known in all the seven seas.  

It was known that their hideout was somewhere near Oakland, hidden in a peaceful estuary. More because he wished for more material for his stories than for his bravery, Richard led a small band of fighters to the pirate’s lair and dealt a final blow to the infamous cut-throats. Actually, the Mighty Quinn, as he was known, had set perilous Pete and Mary Lou adrift in a dinghy, knowing that they would return and provide him with a wonderful conclusion to his story.

The authorities thought that it was strange that the Mighty Quinn volunteered to be the only keeper for the lighthouse, built on the site of the pirates’ den, yet he remained there for forty years. He kept a vigilant watch, always waiting for the pirates to return, waiting for that final episode. To this day, whenever a sailing boat approaches, all eyes turn to look, as if the ghost of Richard Turner Quinn makes everyone a part of his vigil.

Lighthouse Notes
(Sworn to be a true story by many in the Navy.) One night at sea, a ship’s captain saw what looked like the lights of another ship heading toward

him. He had his signal man blink to the other ship: “Change your course 10 degrees south.” The reply came back: “Change your course 10 degrees north.” The ship’s captain answered: “I am a captain, change your course south!” The answer: “I am a seaman first class, change your course north.” This infuriated the captain so he had the signal man reply: “Dammit, I say change your course south; I am on a battleship!” To which the reply came back, “And I say change your course north. I’m in a lighthouse.”

“L.J. Quinn’s Restaurant is a reminder of our maritime heritage and as a tribute to those faithful ‘wickies’ (affectionate term for the keepers), who served the mariner and humanity with such dedication for so many years.” Wayne Wheeler, President, U.S. Lighthouse Society. For additional information on lighthouses, contact The U.S. Lighthouse Society, 244 Kearny St., San Francisco, CA 94108. Call (415) 362-7255 or contact Bay Crossings for shipboard tours passing by the many lighthouses of the Bay.