Connecticut

Connecticut

The U.S. state of Connecticut is located in southern New England and faces south on Long Island Sound. Among its onshore lighthouses are two Early Federal towers (Including the Five Mile Point Light shown at right) and several interesting survivors from the Pleasanton era around 1840. Many of the other lighthouses are located offshore in Long Island Sound. Only a few Connecticut lighthouses are open to the public. The Latimer Reef Light, located in Fisher Island Sound south of Stonington, is often thought to be a Connecticut lighthouse, but actually it is just over the state border in New York waters. There is no state lighthouse society in Connecticut. Local interest in lighthouses is strong, but several towers are in danger or in need of restoration. Jeremy D'Entremont's book, The Lighthouses of Connecticut (Beverly MA: Commonwealth Editions, 2005) is the indispensable reference for these lighthouses. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals. USCG numbers are from Vol. I of the USCG Light List.

New London County Lighthouses

Stonington Lighthouses

**** 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, Anderson has good photos and a historical account, and Google has a satellite view. 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 4th order 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. Stonington Outer Breakwater Date unknown. Active; focal plane 14 m (46 ft); red flash every 4 s. 43 ft (13 m) square skeletal tower with a small enclosed section near the base. Trabas has a photo, but the tower is hard to see in Google's satellite view. Located on the west end of the detached outer breakwater of Stonington harbor, about 3/4 mi (1200 m) south southwest of the historic lighthouse. Accessible only by boat. Site open, tower closed. Admiralty J0664; USCG 1-20170.

* Mystic Seaport

1966. Active (unofficial); focal plane about 8 m (26 ft); continuous white light. 25 ft (7.5 m) round wood tower with lantern and gallery: a replica of the 1901 Brant Point Light, Nantucket. A 4th order Fresnel lens, on loan from the Coast Guard, is in use. Lighthouse painted white, lantern roof black. An adjacent boat shed is a popular location for weddings and other outdoor gatherings. Google has a satellite view. 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; Site open (museum admission), tower closed. Site manager: Mystic Seaport.

Groton Lighthouses

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.

* 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 with a modern LED beacon 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.

Thames River Lower Range Rear

Date unknown. Active; focal plane 80 ft (24 m); continuous green light. Approx. 70 ft (21 m) square cylindrical skeletal tower with gallery. Trabas has a photo. Located on the grounds of the U.S. Naval Submarine Base in Groton. Site status unknown. Admiralty J0737.66; USCG 1-21960.

New London Lighthouses

** 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, Trabas has a photo by Ronald Wöhrn, Marinas.com has aerial photos, Huelse has a historic postcard view, 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 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; 4th order 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, Trabas has a fine photo, Marinas.com has aerial photos, and Huelse has a historic postcard view, and Google has a satellite view. 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 approved for transfer under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act to the New London Maritime Society. After years of delays, the transfer finally took place in October 2010. The Society hopes to open the lighthouse to guided tours during 2011. Located on Pequot Avenue south of Montauk Avenue, off CT 213 in New London; parking is available on the street. 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.