LONG ISLAND LIGHTHOUSES

BYGONE & TODAY

MONTAUK POINT LIGHTHOUSE, is the oldest lighthouse in New York State. The Lighthouse was authorized by the Second Congress, under President George Washington in 1792. Congress appropriated $255.12 to buy the land (Turtle Hill) in which the lighthouse would be built to warn passing mariners of the perilous rocks at Montauk Point.  Three years later President George Washington signed the authorization for the construction of the light.  A contract was awarded to NY bricklayer, John McComb, Jr.  The winning bid was $22,300.  Construction began on June 7, 1796 and the 108’ tall lighthouse was completed on November 5,1796.                                                                          

Since 1797, the Montauk Point Lighthouse has safely guided mariners around treacherous reefs and shoals which surrounded her jagged coastline.  Indian canoes, whaleboats, revenue cutters, and smuggler’s ships (then as now) passed the lighthouse during the early days of operations. During the War of 1812, British men of war prowled beneath the reassuring beacon.  Schooners, brigs and all manner of sailing craft used the light as a guide.  Today, fast sleek ships glide under this historic light’s winking eye high atop Turtle Hill. This historic landmark has been part of Long Island's land and seascape for over 200 years and still serves as an active aid to navigation. The tower today is basically the same one that McComb built in 1797.  In 1900 the all-white lighthouse was given a horizontal brown band.

                                                                       

The ORIENT POINT LIGHTHOUSE sits at the eastern-most tip of the North Fork of Long Island, and just that fact makes it special.  Established in 1899 and is an active aid to navigation today.  This 64’ lighthouse was built on the Oyster Point Reef to help mariners navigate through Plum Gut, which runs between the reef and Plum Island.

The basic, no-frills style of this and similar lighthouses of its time was a reaction to the expensive and high-maintenance, but architecturally fascinating lighthouses previously built in the region. Not one of the more attractive lighthouses ever built, the brown and white structure was nicknamed “The Coffee Pot” by local mariners. Starting in the early twentieth century, after automobiles
became a common sight, the ‘Coffee Pot” style became more famously known as “Spark Plugs.” This lighthouse is an active aid to navigation today.

The 168’ FIRE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE that stands today is not the original. It replaced a 74 foot tower constructed in 1826 that proved inadequate because it was too short. The stone from that tower was used to build the terrace around the present tower.  The lighthouse served continuously until 1974 when it was turned off and replaced by a small flash tube atop the Robert Moses water tower.  In a state of total disrepair the lighthouse was slated for demolition until a grass roots movement raised enough money for a restoration.

 When the lighthouse was built it was on the edge of Fire Island Inlet and marked the western end of Fire Island. However Fire Island has extended itself through accumulating sand so that the lighthouse is now nearly six miles from the western end of the island at Democrat Point.  Today the lighthouse is an active aid in navigation.

PLUM ISLAND LIGHT, also known as Plum Gut Light, is located on the western end of Plum Island which lies east of Orient Point and stands 34 feet tall.  In 1826, Richard Jerome sold 3 acres of the 840 acre island to the U. S. Government for $90.00, and the first beacon, a 40 foot rough stone tower equipped with ten lamps with reflectors arranged on two rotating copper tables, was constructed on Plum Island. In 1867, the masonry of the dwelling and tower were found to be soft and crumbling and the structures were leaking badly so in 1869/1870 the current masonry structure was built.  Originally it had a 350,000 candle power light and a range of 14 miles before it was discontinued in June of 1978 and replaced by a small beacon. The lighthouse, located at the top of a rapidly eroding bluff is in danger of being lost unless preventive action is taken to stabilize the slope. The lighthouse is one of two on Eastern Long Island on the “Doomsday” list.  

STEPPING STONE LIGHTHOUSE is a small red brick building located on an isolated island northwest of Kings Point, marking the end of Long Island Sound.  The 38 ’Stepping Stone Lighthouse sits atop a rocky foundation, east of the Throggs Neck Bridge and off the tip of City Island, The Bronx. It warns boaters to stay clear of the mussel and clam encrusted reefs south of the light. Irish bargemen and stonemasons from the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx built the Second Empire style lighthouse with red brick and stone. The light was completed in 1878 and still guides the maritime community safely around the dangerous reefs waters connecting the Long Island Sound to the East River.

The original OLD FIELD POINT  LIGHT began when Congress provided funding in the total amount of $4,000.00 for the construction.   The land was purchased from Samuel Thompson for the sum of $400.00.  Construction of the 30 foot tall octagonal stone tower and separate one and one-half story keeper’s house  was completed in 1824, 75 cents under budget which was carried to the surplus fund.

Shortly after the Civil War a second lighthouse was constructed to accommodate the increasing shipping traffic of Long Island Sound.  Construction of the second (and presently existing) lighthouse, built in front of the original started in 1868 and was completed in September 1869.

While the first lighthouse is gone, the original keeper’s house remains and is situated to the east of the current lighthouse.

High atop a hill overlooking Long Island Sound stands the EATONS NECK LIGHTHOUSE.  President John Adams authorized construction of the light in 1798 and the land this structure sits on was purchased for $500.00 from John Gardiner.  The 73’ lighthouse was designed by John J. McComb Jr. and built with a cost of $9750.00.  Construction was completed in 1798 and was first lit on New Year’s Day in 1799.    It is a unique lighthouse because it is still using its original fresnel lens which was installed in 1858.  The lighthouse is an active aid to Navigation for the U.S. Coast Guard.

EXECUTION ROCK LIGHTHOUSE was built in 1849 upon rock that was  named after a grisly Revolutionary War method of disposing of prisoners. These rocky reefs, northwest of Sands Point on the western end of Long Island Sound, carry a chilling legend of how they received their name. According to folklore, which has never been proven true, the British avoided public executions in Colonial times because they would inflame the revolutionary spirit of the American people. Instead, they would carry the condemned to these reefs at low tide, chain them to rings embedded in the rock, and wait for high tide to carry out the death sentence. Some say the skeletons were left to torture the minds of the newly condemned as they faced certain death.

The lighthouse is an active aid to navigation for the U.S. Coast Guard

The first light on Little Gull Island, a 50’ tower, was lit in 1806 in an effort to prevent the numerous wrecks that occurred in the hazardous waters where Long Island Sound and Block Island Sound meet. It represents one of the first efforts by the Federal Government to provide lighted navigational aids. The keepers of the original lighthouse overlooked naval activities between the Americans and the British that took place in the vicinity of “the Race” during the War of 1812. The British landed troops here in 1813, forced the keeper to extinguish the light, and removed the lamps to prevent its being relit. The present LITTLE GULL ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE is a 81’granite tower and was constructed in 1868.   The island is today owned by the American Museum of Natural History.

RACE ROCK LIGHT was built to mark a hazardous rock reef covered by 3-feet of water at low tide with several small rock spurs breaking the water’s surface.  Race Rock located at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound and the western end of Fishers Island Sound was considered to be “one of the most dangerous obstructions on the coast” since strong currents of the Sounds “raced” both ways at swift speeds.

Buoys and spindles driven into the rock reef were used with little success. Buoys were swept away and spindles broke away by floating ice fields each spring.  Eight shipwrecks occurred from 1830 to 1837.  On July 7, 1838 Congress appropriated $3,000 for a beacon but the money was never used.  In 1854, the area was surveyed and Engineers surveyed the reef again in 1868 to determine the underwater formation of the reef after Congress appropriated $90,000 to establish a Lighthouse on July 28, 1866.

Construction of Race Rock Lighthouse was completed in December 1878 and first Lit on January 1, 1879

Latimer Reef is a dangerous area at the east end of Fisher's Island Sound, four miles southeast of Mystic, Connecticut. As early as 1800 there was an iron spindle serving as a navigational marker on Latimer Reef.  This marker was replaced by a buoy, then finally by the 49’ lighthouse in 1884.

The LATIMER REEF LIGHTHOUSE, which was placed on the western end of the half-mile-long rocky reef, consists of a prefabricated, cylindrical cast-iron tower forty-nine feet tall with a cast-iron, concrete-filled foundation. The lighthouse was originally painted all brown, but was later painted all white with a brown band around the middle section to improve its visibility for mariners.  

Latimer Reef Light is the oldest cast-iron lighthouse still in service in the First Coast Guard District.

In 1851, the government purchased the site for where the GARDINERS POINT LIGHTHOUSE would be built. At the time, the site was a 14-acre site on a peninsula which extended three miles north from Gardiners Island.    In 1851 & 1852, Congress appropriated a total of $7000 for the light.   The construction of the lighthouse was finished in 1854 and first lit in 1855.   In 1888, a March blizzard causes a break in the peninsula, leaving the lighthouse on an island.

The light was constructed on an unstable sand bar. The loss of beach led to the proposal to relocate or rebuild the light, but it was abandoned after a storm. The masonry structure "toppled into the sea" shortly thereafter. The government then tried to establish a fort site, to be named Fort Tyler, on the remaining land, but the sands were too unstable. This fort, which cost $500,000, was to have protected Long Island during the Spanish-American War.

While no lighthouse remains, the ruins of Fort Tyler are still visible by boat.

John Winthrop, son of the governor of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, acquired Fishers Island and the surrounding islets, including the Dumplings, in 1639. North Dumpling Island remained in the Winthrop family until 1847, when it was sold to the federal government for $600. Construction soon began on a brick keeper’s dwelling with an attached 25-foot tower called NORTH DUMPLING LIGHTHOUSE. The first optic was most likely a whale oil powered multi-lamp and reflector combination, typical for the time. The light was upgraded to a fourth-order Fresnel lens in 1856.

In 1986, the lighthouse was sold for $2.5 million. After battling unsuccessfully with Suffolk County authorities for permission to put up a windmill to power his electric generator, the new owner, Dean Kamen, began an extended media campaign. He declared that his island was now the sovereign “North Dumpling Republic” and that he was “Lord Dumpling II.” The new nation was to have its own currency unit, the Dumpling, a national anthem, and a one-boat navy. The eccentric Kamen has been featured on TV shows, including the Today Show and Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.

The original lighthouse, first lit on December 1, 1871, was built upon a screw pile foundation. This metal framework foundation, made the light look like a large bug upon the water, hence the "BUG LIGHT" nickname. (aka LONG BEACH BAR LIGHTHOUSE)

For many years, Bug Light steered sailors to safety from its location between Orient Harbor and Gardiner's Bay, welcoming them to the protected waters of Peconic Bay.
The Bug Light's foundation was changed to concrete in 1926, to facilitate the installation of central heating. In 1938, the infamous September hurricane raised the seas over the roof of the lighthouse, causing the keepers' drinking water to be spoiled by salt water. The light was decommissioned in 1943.

On July 4, 1963, the lighthouse was burned to the ground by vandals and for many years thereafter, the spot would be marked on charts as "Lighthouse Ruins."

In 1990, the Bug Light was restored to its original grandeur by the efforts of hundreds of people who contributed not only financial support, but also material, equipment, and hard work to the project. With its flashing light 63 feet above water, once again resumed its duty of welcoming mariners as a private aid to navigation.

In 1857, LLOYD HARBOR LIGHTHOUSE was constructed for $4000.00.  It was built on the tip of Lloyd's Neck to assist ships in finding shelter in Lloyd Harbor from the wind and waves that often hinder navigation on the Long Island Sound. This lighthouse, was of little help to ships entering the adjoining Huntington Harbor.  It existed as an aid to navigation until 1912 when the Huntington Lighthouse was completed. Although unused after 1912, the Lloyd Light Keepers' house was used through the 1930's as a residence for the Huntington Light Keepers' family. This residence succumbed to a fire in November, 1947.

Built to replace the Lloyd Harbor Lighthouse, the 42’ HUNTINGTON HARBOR LIGHTHOUSE was completed in 1912, and operational in that year.  This lighthouse did not have three of the 'modern' conveniences, electricity, indoor plumbing or running water. Life was tough at best and the keeper was at the mercy of the elements.  The lighthouse is located on the north shore of Long Island, at the entrance to both the Lloyd and Huntington Harbors.

The Beaux arts style Huntington Harbor Lighthouse resembles a small castle. In 1983, it was deemed unsafe for servicing personnel and too expensive to repair. A project to save the lighthouse has been underway since 1985.

SANDS POINT LIGHTHOUSE is in the same vicinity with Execution Rock Lighthouse and aided mariners past the rocky reefs from 1809 to 1922.

In 1806, five acres was bought by Governor Tompkins for the light from Benjamin Hewlett for $512.50. In 1809 the tower was completed and in 1868 a keeper’s house was added.

The lighthouse is made of brown stone and stands 80’ tall.  The light originally exhibited white flashes but this was changed to a fixed white light to avoid confusion with the Execution Rocks light.

Today the lighthouse is not active and sits on privately owned property.

The SHINNECOCK BAY  (Ponquogue Point) Lighthouse was established in 1858 and was located at Ponquogue Point on the Shinnecock Bay.  The red brick tower stood 160’ tall.  The construction of the light was finished in 1857 and first lit in January of 1858.

The light was an active aid to navigation until 1931 and demolished in 1948.

No remains are left of the lighthouse.

The CEDAR ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE is located on the south shore of Long Island in Cedar Point Park.

Settled in 1651, Cedar Point was once a busy port for shipping farm goods, fish, and timber from Sag Harbor. The historic Cedar Point Lighthouse stood on an island 200 yards from shore when it was built in 1860. Its beacon served to guide whaling ships in and out of Sag Harbor during it’s hey day as a major port. The ‘Great’ Hurricane of 1938 transformed the shoreline, shifting sands to create a narrow, walkable strip that now connects the lighthouse with the mainland.

The lighthouse was deactivated in 1934.

In 1974, the empty structure was badly damaged in a fire set by vandals. After the fire, the roof was replaced, but windows were simply bricked over, and the destroyed interior was left as is.  Joint efforts by many groups are working on the restoration of the lighthouse today.

Although the HORTON POINT LIGHTHOUSE was commissioned to be built by President George Washington in 1790, the acreage needed for the light station was not made available until 8 acres were offered to the Federal Government in 1855 for $550.  The lighthouse was completed in 1857 at a cost of $7.500.  It consisted of the 55' tall square tower and a detached keeper's residence.

Between 1941 and 1950 the light was transferred to a nearby steel tower, while the lighthouse was used as an observation post by Army and Coast Guard.

During the 1960's vandals wrecked its interior.

Since early 1990 many repairs were made to the lighthouse and in June of 1990 the lighthouse was re commissioned and relighted.

The PORT JEFFERSON HARBOR BREAKWATER LIGHTHOUSE was located on the north shore of Long Island in the Village of Port Jefferson. The lighthouse was situated on a jetty to the east of the entrance of Port Jefferson Harbor on the Long Island Sound. (no picture available)

The COLD SPRING HARBOR LIGHTHOUSE was built in 1890. The lighthouse was originally situated on a shoal at the entrance of Cold Spring Harbor, 1,500 yards off of Centre Island.  The 35 ft square pyramidal wood tower had a very cramped keeper's quarters.

In 1965, the lighthouse was removed from its foundation, and replaced by a steel skeleton tower. The old wooden tower was scheduled to be torn down, but a resident living on the opposite shore purchased it for one dollar. Known as Lady Glen, she had fond memories of the lighthouse, including one keeper who kept a piano at the station. When he played, the music could be heard across the water.

The tower was placed on a barge, but it got stuck on a sandbar in the middle of the channel. Many methods were tried to get the barge loose, including attaching a heavy steel cable, which snapped. Anyone in the way of the cable ends as they whipped through the air would likely have been decapitated. The barge, with the lighthouse on top, ended up sitting on the bar for almost a year, waiting for a tide high enough to allow it to float off. When it was finally freed, the lighthouse was placed in Lady Glen’s yard, overlooking waters where it formerly stood. The Cold Spring Harbor Lighthouse is the only one on Long Island that has been moved from its original site.

The STRATFORD SHOAL LIGHTHOUSE is frequently classified as a New York lighthouse, and the land ("less than one acre") for the lighthouse was indeed ceded to the federal government by the State of New York on May 11, 1874. However, official maps today place the lighthouse on the Connecticut side of Long Island Sound by a good 1,000 feet. With good arguments on both sides, the debate over whether the lighthouse should be classified as a Connecticut one or a New York one will likely never be settled.

The light was constructed from 1874-1877 and stands 35’.   The remoteness of the station created difficult living conditions for the keepers.  Over the years, the keepers performed many rescues.     The light was also known as Middleground Light. 

It is an active aid to navigation today and can  be seen from a distance aboard the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson ferry.

The CONEY ISLAND (Norton’s Point) LIGHTHOUSE is located on the southwestern shore of Long Island in the Sea Gate community of Brooklyn. The lighthouse is situated at Nortons Point, on the western tip of Coney Island, along the Gravesend Bay. 

During the mid-1800s, Coney Island attracted a lot of famous people, including P.T. Barnum, Herman Melville, Washington Irving, and Daniel Webster. The west end of the island, where the lighthouse was to be built was a very rough area known for its drinking, fighting, and gambling. It wasn’t unusual for bodies to wash ashore on Coney Island during those times.

The growing popularity of Coney Island meant increased ferry traffic to deliver people there. A lighthouse was needed to guide boats headed for the island’s piers, and also to direct garbage barges to their dumping grounds nearby. In 1889, Congress approved $25,000 to build two range lights at the western end of Coney Island. However, when the Lighthouse Board tried to buy the necessary land for the new lighthouse, the property owners asked for twice the estimated value of the land. The properties were condemned instead and obtained for $3,500.   The lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation.

Photos by ByGone Long Island Photographers, US Coast Guard Archives & post cards.  Researched at Sachem Public Library.