Lighthouses - Historic Buildings of Connecticut

Mystic Seaport Lighthouse (1966)

Mystic Seaport is a living history maritime museum, which recreates a nineteenth century seaport. One of the museum buildings is an exact replica of the current lighthouse at Brant Point on Nantucket. The first lighthouse at Brant Point was built in 1746 and has been followed by many successive structures over the years. The present light, which is the lowest above sea level in New England, was built in 1901. The Mystic Seaport replica lighthouse was built in 1966. Inside, it currently displays a multimedia exhibition about lighthouses, called Sentinels of the Sea (video). (more…)

Lynde Point Lighthouse (1838)

A wood lighthouse on Old Saybrook’s Lynde Point was first lit in 1803. It was replaced by the current brownstone tower in 1838, which is similar to the earlier New London Harbor and Faulkners Island Lights, but is considered to be the finest of the three buildings. Lynde Point Light is an also referred to as the Saybrook Inner Light, in contrast to the Outer Light, or Saybrook Breakwater Light. A seawall was constructed to protect the original tower in 1829. The first keeper’s house stood from 1833 to 1858. This was followed by a Gothic Revival gambrel-roofed home, demolished in 1966 and replaced by a duplex, which houses Coast Guard employees. The Light was electrified in 1955 and automated in 1978.

Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse (1886)

Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse, a 49-foot cast-iron tower, first activated in 1886, is located at Fenwick Point, near Old Saybrook. Commonly known as the “Outer Light,” it assists the earlier Lynde Point Light, which is located a mile-and-a-half away, in marking the mouth of the Connecticut River. Saybrook Breakwater Light was built on a large sand bar at the harbor entrance and the interior was lined with brick to provide insulation. It was equipped 1,000-pound fog bell in 1889, but this was replaced with a smaller one after residents objected to the noise. The light was automated in 1959. An image of the lighthouse is also featured on the state’s popular “Preserve the Sound” license plate. In 2007, the Federal Government announced that he lighthouse would be sold under the provisions of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, although the planned sale is currently on hold. The Coast Guard will continue to maintain the light, while the eventual new private owners will maintain the historic structure. Edit: There is HABS info on this building.

New London Harbor Lighthouse (1801)

The New London Harbor Lighthouse, located on the west side of the harbor entrance, was built in 1801 and is the oldest surviving lighthouse in Connecticut. With its octagonal, brick-lined brownstone tower (with cast-iron lantern) rising to 89 feet, it is also the state’s tallest lighthouse. The present New London Harbor Light replaced an earlier stone tower with a wood lantern, built in 1761. The current Keeper’s house was built in 1863 and was enlarged in 1900. In 1904, the sound of a new fog siren annoyed local residents and in 1906 it was replaced with a trumpet. The fog signal was moved to the New London Ledge Light in 1911. Today, the detached Keeper’s house is privately owned, while the tower is maintained by the New London Maritime Society. New London Harbor Light is still an active aid to navigation.

Tongue Point Lighthouse (1895)

Tongue Point Light Lighthouse, built in 1895, is on the west side of the entrance to Bridgeport Harbor, on the east end of Tongue, or Wells, Point. Originally known as Bridgeport Breakwater Light, it stood at the end of a protective breakwater, built in 1891. There was no dwelling for the lighthouse keeper until Keeper C. Adolphus McNeil built a shack on the landing dock. After his death, in 1904, his wife Flora McNeil became the lightkeeper, while also running a manicure business in downtown Bridgeport. In 1919, when the breakwater was shortened, the cast-iron lighthouse was dismantled and moved 275 feet inland. The Tongue Point Light, also known as “The Bug,” was automated in 1954. The Coast Guard was going to remove the lighthouse in 1967, but local boaters protested.

New London Ledge Lighthouse (1909)

The New London Ledge Lighthouse was built in 1909, on the Southwest Ledge at the mouth of the Thames River in New London Harbor. It was built after much lobbying to construct a new lighthouse, as the New London Harbor Light was deemed insufficient to direct ships around the dangerous ledges at the entrance to the harbor. The red brick New London Ledge Light is to have been built in the French Second Empire style at to the request of wealthy homeowners on the nearby shore, who wanted the new lighthouse to match the elegance of their own residences. The Coast Guard took over manning the lighthouse in 1939 and it was automated in 1987. New London Ledge Light is also famous as a haunted lighthouse (There are YouTube Videos here and here).

Stonington Harbor Lighthouse (1840)

Stonington’s first lighthouse was built in 1824, but after an 1838 inspection, it was found the building was deteriorating and had moved 25 feet due to erosion. Reusing stones from the first building, a new stone lighthouse, with a 35-foot tower, was built in 1840 by John Bishop further up Stonington Borough’s peninsula. This lighthouse served until 1889. By that time, a privately owned signal on Stonington’s newly constructed breakwater had proven to be more effective than the old lighthouse, so a new cast-iron Stonington Breakwater Light (replaced in 1926) was built. The earlier Harbor Light continued to be used as the new lighthouse keeper’s home until a house was built in 1908. In 1925, the old building was sold at auction and then donated to the Stonington Historical Society. Since 1927, the Stonington Harbor Lighthouse has been open to the public as the Old Lighthouse Museum, with exhibits about Stonington’s maritime history.