New Haven Lighthouse
History
New Haven Lighthouse which stands 97 feet tall replaced the original lighthouse of (1805) which was octagonal. It was constructed with shingles on the sides and on its roof and only stood about 35 feet. Its beam could be seen for about 6 miles.This original light was torn down and replaced by the current light because it was not tall enough and could not be seen due to all the natural landscape that surrounded it.
The light that stands today served from (1845) to (1877) when it was replaced by yet another more visible light on the breakwall of Southwest Ledge. The keepers house is a small brick dwelling adjacent to the light which is still used today by the park ranger and his family.
Lighthouse Park, established by the City of New Haven in 1949 is open from sunrise to sunset year round and provides plenty of recreation for boaters, sports fishermen, picnicers and beach goers. The rocky point on which the lighthouse stands has also been known in the past as Five Mile Point, it being exactly five miles from the green in New Haven.
The lighthouse was built of local sandstone fitted with a custom granite staircase and lined with brick. The exterior was painted white while the lantern deck and roof were painted black. Its beam was visible from ten miles on a clear night.
The lighthouse in New Haven bears the same architectual design as many of its neighbors along the Connecticut shoreline such as New London Harbor Light at the mouth of New London Harbor, Lynde Point Light in Old Saybrook and Faulkner's Island Light in Guilford. In the past, New Haven Lighthouse and others along the Connecticut shoreline have proved to be invaluable to mariners traveling through Long Island Sound. It being such a small body of water is still one of the most dangerous routes along the east coast with quick and violent storms and reefs scattered along the shoreline.
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