The premise, of course, was brilliant and prescient. Settlers living near the water would set fires on hilltops to serve as literal guiding lights for ships. Eventually, it led to platforms that were lit by fire.

Of course, that proved to be a bit cumbersome and tiresome to light a fire every night or as needed. That is, until Thomas Edison came along and invented the lightbulb, making the rest history and ultimately leading to the lighthouse.

And what a glorious history this country has of lighthouses. Be they on the river, on a lake or an ocean coast, here are 25 of America's most wonderful lighthouses.

Arguably the best lighthouse on Lake Erie, the "Jewel of the Port" was built in 1837 and rebuilt twice. Shipping on Lake Erie would have been a moot point without it. It no longer functions but still stands tall.

Built in 1848, this was one of the first - if not the first - cast-iron lighthouses in the South. Until the U.S. Coast Guard took over operating the facility in 1939, the lighthouse was noted for having several female lightkeepers - including Maria Younghans, who ran the ship (pardon the pun) for a whopping 53 years.

You've probably seen this lighthouse, at least in pictures. Big Sable Point has an iconic black and white color scheme, one of the first to feature that, dating back to the early 1900s. it was first constructed in 1867 on the shores of Lake Michigan.

Not even 160 years of hurricanes and tropical storms could buckle the mighty lighthouse, one of five that were placed 40 miles apart on North Carolina's Outer Banks. The lighthouse is unmistakable with its diamond-shaped paint scheme.

This is one of the great lighthouses to visit and tour its museum, accessible now only by the Jamestown Newport Ferry. Located on an 18-acre island, Rose Island Lighthouse was built in 1869 in Narragansett Bay. You can even stay overnight.

The oldest lighthouse in the state of Alaska, Eldred Rock was built in 1906. One of the more interesting things about this lighthouse is that it not only overlooks a body of water but has gorgeous snow-capped mountains as a backdrop.

Maybe the most unique lighthouse in the country for one incredible reason - it's not freestanding, it's floating. As its name suggests, this is a ship that tethered a large light on its deck - nicknamed the "Statue of Liberty of the Sea" - and helped thousands of ships navigate often foggy coast of the island off the coast of Massachusetts.

Just take a look at the picture. When you think if lighthouses, this might be the image that forms in your mind, Perched on a bluff above the Pacific, Pigeon Point Lighthouse began its life in 1872 and remains the tallest lighthouse on the west coast at 115 feet.

Like stepping back in time. Nearly 200,000 visitors come to the lighthouse and its museum every year. At 175 feet tall, it is the tallest lighthouse in Florida and is located about 10 miles south of Daytona Beach. Visitors can still climb to the top to take in the magnificent view.

Still a working lighthouse, Heceta Head rises 205 feet in the air and its Fresnel lens sends out a beam of light than can be seen 21 miles away. That's said to be the brightest light in the state. The lighthouse was originally constructed in 1894.

Once out of service for a period of years, Old Scituate was placed on the National Register of Historic Places and re-lit in 1991. It was built in 1811 and remains one of the east coast's premier facilities.

Even 147 years ago, when this lighthouse was lit again after a third construction, it shined a light so bright it could be seen nearly 20 miles out to sea. This area of North Carolina was once a treacherous stretch for ships, hence the positioning of five lighthouses in a 40-mile stretch.

Lighthouses are built for a single reason - to guide ships to shore without any damage. The Portland Head Lighthouse had that duty as well as one other important one. Built in 1791, the 72-foot tall lighthouse was built to warn the fledgling nation of any impending attacks by the British looking to reclaim the country.

For being on a lake - albeit the body water being Lake Superior - the Two Harbors area has long been a difficult area for ships with its rocky coastline. (Still is. Take a look at that picture.) That prompted the 1910 construction of the lighthouse, now one of the state's most famous landmarks.

Say hello to the oldest lighthouse in the United States. In fact, this lighthouse is so old, not only were we not the United States when it was built in 1716, but it took another 50 years before another lighthouse was even built in the colonies. Boston Light's beacon still shines for sailors to find their way through the numerous small islands in the Boston harbor.

Built in 1857 by the U.S. Lighthouse Service on tiny Tatoosh Island, this facility is located in the most northwesterly point in the continental United States. The lighthouse is now deactivated and closed to the public.

On the tip of eastern Long Island, where the rich and the famous congregate every year to 'summer in the Hamptons,' the Montauk Lighthouse is actually one of the oldest in the country. Built in 1796, it is the oldest in New York State. It still shines its light over Montauk Point.

Battery Point Lighthouse, aka Crescent City Lighthouse, is still in operation today after first being lit in 1856. Congress actually appropriated the funds for the lighthouse to help ensure the travel of goods through the rugged coastline and into the state.

One of the oldest and tallest lighthouses on the Great Lakes, Wind Point is still an active facility and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. It will turn 140 years old in 2020.

The shipping channel at the entrance to the Chesapeake Bay was, is, and always will be one of the most important in the U.S. that's why the lighthouse was the first authorized by the U.S. government in 1792, and it still stands today - as well as its sister lighthouse, built nearby in 1881 because officials were wary that the original wouldn't last.

Yet another of the lighthouses that dot the coast of the Outer Banks, it was once referred to as the 'Graveyard of the Atlantic.' And there's a reason for both the nickname and all the lighthouses. The warm Gulf Stream current meets up with the cold Labrador Current, which makes for powerful storms that have run many ships aground.

This was another lighthouse commissioned by the U.S. Lighthouse Service, this one in 1870, to help navigate the Point Reyes Headlands. According to weather records, Point Reyes is the windiest and foggiest place on the Pacific Coast, which made a lighthouse absolutely necessary.

Again, if you think you've seen it before, you probably have. This was the lighthouse featured in the 2000 George Clooney film "The Perfect Storm." The lighthouse is situated at the entrance to Gloucester Harbor to help seafaring vessels make a safe entry to the port.

This lighthouse has a strange history. Built in 1871, it was decommissioned in 1874 and replaced with a new lighthouse. It was deactivated again shortly thereafter and after nearly a century was lit again in 1996. It's one of the few lighthouses in the country where the lightkeeper actually lives in the lighthouse itself.

One of the country's more famous and notable lighthouses. This was first built in 1856, the first-ever constructed on famous Martha's Vineyard. The lighthouse stands above Gay Head Cliffs, stands 170 feet tall, and was one of the first in the nation to receive a Fresnel Lens, which made its debut in 1823.