Lighthouses of Connecticut

Lighthouses East of the Connecticut River

**** Stonington Harbor (2) 1840 (John Bishop). Station established 1824. Inactive since 1889. 35 ft (10.5 m) octagonal granite tower with lantern and gallery, attached church-style to a 1-1/2 story granite keeper's house. Lantern painted gray. A photo is at right, and Anderson has good photos and a historical account. The lighthouse was built with materials salvaged from the 1824 lighthouse. After deactivation, it remained in service as the keeper's house for the Stonington Breakwater Light until 1908, when a new keeper's house was built next door (that building survives as a private residence, though in greatly altered form). This is the oldest lighthouse in the country with a light tower attached in the "church" or "schoolhouse" style. The lighthouse was purchased by the local historical society in 1925 and renovated as a museum of local and lighthouse history. A 4º Fresnel lens of uncertain origin is displayed. In 2001 the New England Lighthouse Lovers contributed funds to provide a protective enclosure for the lens. Located at the foot of Water Street, off US 1A, in Stonington. Site and tower open daily except Mondays May through November, 7 days a week in July and August. Owner/site manager: Stonington Historical Society. ARLHS USA-813. * Mystic Seaport 1966. Active though not an official aid to navigation. Replica of the 1901 Brant Point Light, Nantucket: 25 ft (7.5 m) round wood tower with lantern and gallery. A 4º Fresnel lens, on loan from the Coast Guard, is in use. An adjacent boat shed is a popular location for weddings and other outdoor gatherings. The lighthouse is an exhibit of one of America's best known maritime museums. Located on the point jutting into Mystic Harbor at Mystic Seaport, off CT 27 between I-95 and Mystic; Google has a satellite view. Site open (museum admission), tower closed. Site manager: Mystic Seaport. Morgan Point (2) 1868 (station established 1831). Inactive since 1921. 52 ft (16 m) octagonal wood tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a 2-1/2 story granite keeper's house. Light tower painted white, lantern black; building is unpainted. Anderson has a good page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. Sibling of Block Island North Light RI. The original lantern was removed in 1922, when the building was sold as a private residence. In 1991-92, new owners Jason and Rena Pilalas spent over $1 million renovating the lighthouse. A modern addition was made at the rear, the interior was gutted and reconfigured, and a new lantern, based on the design of the original but slightly larger, was built of aluminum. Located on Morgan Point on the west side of the Mystic River entrance in Noank. Site and tower closed; boat tours from Mystic Seaport pass the site. Owner/site manager: private. ARLHS USA-514; Admiralty J0676.

Stonington Light, August 2003 anonymous Creative Commons photo

* Avery Point

1944. Reactivated (inactive 1967-2006, now unofficial); focal plane 56 ft (17 m); green flash every 4 s. 55 ft (17 m) octagonal cylindrical concrete block tower with lantern and gallery. The tower is unpainted, lantern painted white with a black roof. Anderson has a fine page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. This lighthouse was built at a former Coast Guard training station as a monument to lighthouse keepers. The site is now included in the University of Connecticut's Avery Point Campus. Long endangered by neglect, the lighthouse was placed on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List in 1997. The Avery Point Lighthouse Society launched a fundraising campaign to save the tower. In 2001, the Connecticut legislature authorized up to $150,000 in bond funds to match contributions received by the society. The West Mystic Wood Boat Building Company offered to rebuild the lantern with no charge for labor. In December 2001 the lantern was removed for this restoration; Anderson has a photo of the tower without the lantern. The deteriorated masonry of the tower was restored during the fall of 2003. Lighthouse Digest has an April 2003 article illustrating the previous deterioration of the tower. There was a long delay in starting the rest of the restoration, when University officials neglected to send in a federal grant application. Work finally began in late summer 2004 and completed in 2006. The lighthouse was relit in a ceremony on October 15, 2006. The preservation society has been reorganized as a chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation. Located at Avery Point off CT 349 on the east side of the New London Harbor entrance in Groton. Parking available nearby. Site open, tower closed. Owner: University of Connecticut. Site manager: Avery Point Lighthouse Society. ARLHS USA-023.

** New London Ledge 1909. Active; focal plane 58 ft (17.5 m); four flashes every 30 s in a complex pattern: three white flashes separated by 5 s, 10 s off, red flash, 10 s off. Round cylindrical lantern with gallery rising from the center of a 3-story square red brick Empire-style keeper's house; solar-powered 190 mm lens (1984). Fog horn (two 2 s blasts every 20 s). Lantern is white with a red roof. Alan Budney's photo is at right, Anderson's page also has good photos, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. A unique lighthouse and an architectural landmark. A local foundation has leased the lighthouse from the Coast Guard and works for its restoration; plans are for the building to be renovated as a guest house and museum. Volunteers have worked steadily in the lighthouse in recent years, but much remains to be done. Located in the mouth of the Thames River southwest of Avery Point, Groton. Accessible only by boat; Project Oceanology, at Avery Point, offers tours Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday afternoons mid June to the end of August and Saturday afternoons in September. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation. ARLHS USA-542; Admiralty J0730; USCG 1-21825.

New London Ledge Light, May 2007 photo copyright Alan Budney; used by permission

* New London Harbor (2)

1801 (Abisha Woodward). Station established 1761. Active; focal plane 90 ft (27.5 m); white light, 3 s on, 3 s off (red sector covers dangerous shoal). 89 ft (27 m) octagonal brownstone tower with lantern and gallery; 4º Fresnel lens (1857) in use. Tower painted white, lantern black. The 2-1/2 story brick Victorian keeper's house (1863) has been a private residence since 1928. Anderson has excellent photos, and Marinas.com has aerial photos. This is the nation's fifth-oldest light station and the seventh-oldest U.S. lighthouse; it is both the oldest and the tallest lighthouse in Connecticut. It marks the west side of the entrance to New London harbor. In 2002 the lighthouse was repainted by the crew of the Coast Guard icebreaker Penobscot Bay. In 2005 the lighthouse was transferred under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act to the New London Maritime Society. Located on Pequot Avenue south of Montauk Avenue, off CT 213 in New London; parking is available on the street. The tower is not very conspicuous in Google's satellite view. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager (tower): New London Maritime Society; Owner/site manager (keeper's house): private. ARLHS USA-541; Admiralty J0732; USCG 1-21845.

Former Connecticut River Lighthouse

[Chester Rock]

1889. Inactive since the 1930s. 21 ft (6.5 m) hexagonal pyramidal frame tower on a pyramidal stone crib. The lighthouse has vanished but the crib remains. In 2000, the town of Chester hoped to build a replica of the lighthouse on the original foundation, but the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection declined to issue the necessary permit, and the effort seems to have been abandoned. Located near Chester about 8 miles from the mouth of the river. ARLHS USA-1116.

Lighthouses West of the Connecticut River

Lynde Point (Saybrook Inner) (2) 1839 (station established 1803). Active; focal plane 71 ft (21.5 m); continuous white light. 65 ft (20 m) octagonal brownstone tower with lantern and gallery, 5º Fresnel lens (1890). Tower and lantern painted white, roof of lantern red. The historic keeper's house (1858) was demolished in 1966 and replaced with modern Coast Guard housing. Anderson's page has good photos, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a good satellite view. In summer 2002 the lighthouse was repainted by the crew of the Coast Guard icebreaker Penobscot Bay. The lighthouse is adjacent to a neighborhood of large homes, including the longtime home of the late actress Katharine Hepburn. Located at the landward end of the Saybrook breakwater at Lynde Point in Saybrook, the west side of the Connecticut River entrance. Site and tower closed (gated residential area; no public access). Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-462; Admiralty J0746; USCG 1-22520. Saybrook Breakwater (Saybrook Outer) 1886. Active; focal plane 58 ft (17.5 m); green flash every 6 s. 48 ft (14.5 m) round sparkplug cast iron tower (brick lined) with lantern and gallery, incorporating 3-story keeper's quarters and mounted on a concrete caisson; 300 mm lens. Lighthouse painted white with black trim. Fog horn (3 s blast every 30 s). Anderson has a good page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. This is the lighthouse seen on Connecticut's special license plates. Sibling of Latimer Reef light. Repainted 1996. Located at the seaward end of the Saybrook breakwater on the west side of the Connecticut River entrance. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-740; Admiralty J0744; USCG 1-21115.

Saybrook Breakwater Light (left) and Lynde Point Light, May 2007 photo copyright Alan Budney; used by permission

Faulkner's (Falkner's) Island

1802 (Abisha Woodward). Active; focal plane 94 ft (28.5 m); white flash every 10 s. 46 ft (14 m) octagonal brownstone tower with lantern and gallery; solar-powered VRB-25 lens. The keeper's house burned in 1976 but a boathouse (ca. 1940) and brick fog signal building (1922) survive. A unique feature of this lighthouse is the stairway, which emerges from a door at the watch room level and spirals outside to the gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern black. Anderson also has a good page for the lighthouse. Since 1991, Faulkner's Light Brigade has been working to save this endangered light station. A $200,000 restoration project was completed in December 1999 by the International Chimney Corporation. The first phase of a two-phase Corps of Engineers project to stop the erosion by building a stone revetment around the eastern side of the island began in Sepember 2000 and was finished in 2002. In 2007, the Fish and Wildlife Service repaired and restored the pier and breakwater at the light station. Located on a small island off Guilford. Accessible only by boat. There is an annual open house in September. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Faulkner's Light Brigade. ARLHS USA-282; Admiralty J0762; USCG 1-21170.

* Five Mile Point (Old New Haven) (2)

1847 (Marcus Bassett) (station established 1805). Inactive since 1877 (a decorative mercury vapor light is displayed). 70 ft (21 m) octagonal brownstone tower with lantern and gallery, painted white; lantern black. The 2-1/2 story red brick keeper's house (1835), currently leased as a residence, is in poor condition: Lighthouse Digest has an August 2006 article by Jeremy D'Entremont detailing this problem. Owned by the city since 1922; tower restored 1986. The city has a web site for the lighthouse, Anderson's page has several good photos, Marinas.com has aerial photos (identified as "Old Tower"), and Google has a satellite view. Site open daily Memorial Day through Labor Day (parking fee for nonresidents); tower closed except for occasional open house programs, but group tours can be arranged. Owner: City of New Haven. Site manager: Lighthouse Point Park. ARLHS USA-539.

Southwest Ledge (New Haven Breakwater)

1877. Active; focal plane 57 ft (17.5 m); red flash every 5 s. 45 ft (14 m) octagonal Empire style cast iron tower with lantern and gallery, incorporating 2-story keeper's quarters and mounted on a concrete caisson; VRB-25 lens. Fog horn (2 s blast every 15 s). Lighthouse painted white, lantern and caisson black. Anderson has a good page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. Sibling of Ship John Shoal Light in Delaware Bay (New Jersey). The Coast Guard painted and refurbished the lighthouse in 2001. Located at the west end of a detached breakwater, about 1.2 mi (2 km) southwest of Five Mile Point in the entrance to New Haven harbor. Accessible only by boat, but there is a distant view from Lighthouse Point Park (previous entry). Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-778; Admiralty J0780; USCG 1-21210.

Stratford Point (2) 1881 (station established 1822). Active; focal plane 52 ft (16 m); 2 white flashes every 20 s. 35 ft (10.5 m) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery; 190 mm lens (1990). The original lantern was removed in 1969; a new lantern was installed during renovation of the tower in 1990. Lighthouse painted white with a broad red band in the middle; the lantern is white with a red roof. The original 1-1/2 story Victorian frame keeper's house is occupied by a Coast Guard family. Brick fog signal building (1911). One of Jeremy D'Entremont's photos is at right, Anderson has a fine page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. Located at the end of Prospect Lane, off CT 113, in Stratford. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. Admiralty J0810; ARLHS USA-816; USCG 1-21230. Stratford Shoal (Middle Ground) 1877. Active; focal plane 60 ft (18 m); white flash every 5 s. 35 ft (10.5 m) octagonal cylindrical granite tower with lantern and gallery, attached to the front of a 1-1/2 story granite Gothic Revival keeper's house, mounted on granite caisson; solar-powered VRB-25 lens. Fog horn (2 s blast every 15 s). Building trim and lantern painted white. Anderson has great photos. Sibling of Race Rock Light, New York. Located in the middle of Long Island Sound off Bridgeport Harbor. There's a distant view from the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson, New York, ferry. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-1010; Admiralty J0812; USCG 1-21260.

Stratford Point Light photo from New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide copyright Jeremy D'Entremont; used by permission

Tongue Point (Bridgeport Breakwater)

1895. Active; focal plane 31 ft (9.5 m); green flash every 4 s. 31 ft (9.5 m) round cast iron tower with lantern and gallery; 155 mm lens. Entire lighthouse painted black. No keeper's house; the light was originally tended by keepers at the nearby Bridgeport Harbor Light. Anderson has a page with a great closeup photo, Bob Indrums has a good photo, and Google has a satellite view. The lighthouse was relocated in 1919 when the breakwater was shortened by 275 ft (80 m). In 2004 the lighthouse was offered for transfer under NHLPA, but no applications were received. In March 2007, the lighthouse was withdrawn from the NHLPA process out of fears that its proximity to a power plant would make it a security risk if it were in private hands. Located at Tongue Point on the west side of the Bridgeport Harbor entrance. Site and tower closed (utility company property). There are good views from the Bridgeport-Port Jefferson, NY ferry. Owner: U.S. Coast Guard. Site manager: Wisvest-Connecticut LLC. ARLHS USA-1235; Admiralty J0832; USCG 1-24635.

Bridgeport Harbor (3)

1953 (station established 1851). Active; focal plane 50 ft (15 m); quick-flashing green light. 50 ft (15 m) square pyramidal skeletal tower with a small enclosed workroom in the base, mounted on a stone crib. The 1871 lighthouse, a sibling of Colchester Reef VT, burned while being dismantled in 1953. Located just inside the west breakwater at the entrance to Bridgeport Harbor, off Tongue Point. Google has a satellite view. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-086; USCG 1-24615.

* Black Rock Harbor (Fayerweather Island) (2)

1823 (station established 1808). Inactive since 1932 (a solar-powered decorative light is displayed). 41 ft (12.5 m) octagonal stone tower with lantern and gallery. Lighthouse painted white, lantern black. The keeper's house burned in 1977. Anderson has a page with excellent photos, a photo with the Penfield Reef Light in the background is available, and the shadow of the tower is seen in a Google satellite view. Restored in 1983, the tower was later vandalized. In 1998 the Black Rock Community Council raised funds to repair and restore the lighthouse a second time and build a protective seawall. Vandals smashed the solar panels in 2004; in 2006 new panels were installed with protective wire cages. Located in Seaside Park on Fayerweather Island, beyond the end of Barnum Avenue, in Bridgeport. A stone breakwater provides access from the mainland to the island. The lighthouse can also be seen from harbor cruises. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: City of Bridgeport. ARLHS USA-1235; Admiralty J0838.

Penfield Reef

1874 (Albert Dow, designer). Active; focal plane 51 ft (15.5 m); red flash every 6 s. 35 ft (11.5 m) octagonal granite and wood tower with lantern and gallery, rising from a 2-story granite keeper's house, mounted on granite caisson; VRB-25 lens. Light tower and keeper's house roof painted white, lantern black; granite is unpainted. Fog horn (2 s blast every 15 s). Sibling of Colchester Reef VT. Anderson has a page with excellent photos, and Marinas.com has aerial photos. This lighthouse has been endangered by lack of maintenance. In 2002 the Coast Guard made extensive repairs to the interior, including replacement of support beams and the main staircase. In 2007 the lighthouse was listed for disposal under NHLPA, and the town of Fairfield sought ownership. Located on a reef about 1.25 mi (2 km) off Shoal Point, at the end of Reef Road in Fairfield. Accessible only by boat. Can be seen from Bridgeport harbor cruises. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-590; Admiralty J0840; USCG 1-21290.

Peck Ledge

1906. Active; focal plane 61 ft (18.5 m); green flash every 2.5 s. 54 ft (16.5 m) round cast iron sparkplug tower with lantern and double gallery, incorporating 3-story keeper's quarters and mounted on a concrete caisson; 250 mm lens. Lighthouse painted white with a broad red band, lantern and caisson black. Anderson has a good page for the lighthouse, Marinas.com has aerial photos (identified as " Cockenoe Harbor" after nearby Cockenoe Island), and Google has a satellite view. The tower was repainted in 1997 but is endangered by vandalism and lack of maintenance. In 2004 the Coast Guard announced plans to shore up the lighthouse by adding 100 tons of rock around the base. Located on a small island off the entrance to Norwalk Harbor. Accessible only by boat; distant view from shore at Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk. Site and tower closed. Owner/site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-588; Admiralty J0850; USCG 1-24930.

** Sheffield Island (Norwalk) (2) 1868 (station established 1828). Inactive since 1902. 44 ft (13.5 m) octagonal metal tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a 2-story limestone block keeper's house. Light tower painted white, lantern black; the stone building is unpainted. Anderson has a good page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. Sibling of Block Island North Light, RI. Ruins of the 1828 tower are now underwater. The lighthouse has been a museum since 1986, when it was purchased from private owners for $700,000; it has period furniture and displays on the lives of nineteenth century keepers. In 2000, preservationists celebrated retiring the mortgage on the building. Located at the southwestern end of Sheffield Island, about 2 mi (3 km) southwest of Norwalk Harbor. Accessible late May through early September by passenger ferry from South Norwalk; otherwise accessible only by boat. Site open, lighthouse and tower open daily late May through early September. Owner/site manager: Norwalk Seaport Association. ARLHS USA-753. Greens Ledge 1902. Active; focal plane 62 ft (19 m); flash every 12 s, alternating red and white. 52 ft (17 m) round sparkplug cast iron tower with lantern and double gallery, incorporating 3-story keeper's quarters and mounted on a concrete caisson; solar-powered VRB-25 lens. Fog horn (two 2 s blasts every 20 s). Lower half of the tower painted brown, upper half and lantern white. Mike Dunn's photo is at right, Anderson has a good page for the lighthouse, and Google has a satellite view. The Coast Guard hasn't been able to find a preservation group interested in taking responsibility for this lighthouse. Located on a reef southwest of Sheffield Island. Accessible only by boat. Visible from the Sheffield Island passenger ferry. Site and tower closed. Site manager: U.S. Coast Guard. ARLHS USA-355; Admiralty J0866; USCG 1-21340.

Greens Ledge Light, August 2007 Creative Commons photo by Mike Dunn

Stamford Harbor Ledge (Chatham Rocks)

1882. Reactivated (inactive 1953-1985, now privately maintained); focal plane 80 ft (24.5 m); white flash every 4 s. 60 ft (18 m) round sparkplug cast iron tower with lantern and double gallery, incorporating 3-story keeper's quarters and mounted on a concrete and cast iron caisson; 200 mm lens. Lighthouse and lantern painted white, caisson red. Anderson has a page for the lighthouse, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. After being deactivated, the lighthouse was sold no less than four times, reverting three times to the government when owners failed to meet their obligations to maintain and restore the tower. The lighthouse was finally renovated in the mid 1980s by the fourth owner, Erik Spektor, a bank executive who paid $230,000 for the light in 1984. In 1996 the lighthouse was for sale for $1.1 million, but it was taken off the market when Spektor passed away in 1998. The family still owns the lighthouse. Located on a reef off the entrance to Stamford Harbor, about 0.8 mi (1250 m) west southwest of Shippan Point. Accessible only by boat. Site and tower closed. Site manager: private. ARLHS USA-807; Admiralty J0890; USCG 1-25195.

Great Captain Island

1868. Inactive since 1970. 51 ft (15.5 m) octagonal granite and wood tower with lantern and gallery, mounted on a 2-1/2 story granite keeper's house. Light tower and lantern painted white. Sibling of Block Island North Light, RI. The active light (focal plane 62 ft (19 m); flash every 6 s, alternating red and white) was moved to a skeletal tower in 1970. Fog horn (2 s blast every 15 s). The keeper's house is occupied by a resident caretaker. Anderson has an excellent page for the lighthouse, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Google has a satellite view. The buildings seemed to be endangered by poor maintenance, but in September 2003 a plan was announced to restore and relight the lighthouse. The Greenwich Chamber of Commerce and the Indian Harbor Yacht Club have raised $250,000 toward the restoration. The restored lighthouse will include a 9/11 memorial. After many years of delay, the Town of Greenwich has budgeted $1 million in town funds for the restoration, and work should begin in the spring of 2008. Located on an island about 1.8 mi (3 km) south of Greenwich harbor, close to the New York state line. Accessible only by boat; the town operates a passenger ferry in season, but in order to board the ferry someone in the party must hold a park pass, and passes are available only to town residents. Site open, tower closed. Owner/site manager: Town of Greenwich. ARLHS USA-346; Admiralty J0904; USCG 1-21400.

Information available on lost lighthouses:

• Essex Reef (1889-1919), Connecticut River. ARLHS USA-1210.
• New Haven Long Wharf (1900-?), New Haven Harbor. ARLHS USA-1276.
• Sperry (New Haven Outer Breakwall) (1900-1933), New Haven Harbor. ARLHS USA-1009.
• Stonington West Breakwater (1889-1926), Stonington Harbor. ARLHS USA-1118.

Return to the Lighthouse Directory index

Posted May 2001. Checked and revised March 21, 2008. Lighthouses: 22. Site copyright 2008 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.