Stratford Point Light
Stratford Point Lighthouse
LocationStratford, Connecticut
United States
Coordinates41°09′07.19″N 73°06′11.78″W / 41.1519972°N 73.1032722°W / 41.1519972; -73.1032722
Tower
Constructed1822 (first)
Foundationconcrete
Constructioncast iron tower
Automated1970
Height35 ft (11 m)
Shapeconical tower with balcony and lantern
Markingswhite tower with brias red band, red lantern roof
OperatorUnited States Coast Guard[1] [2]
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1881 (current)
Focal height52 ft (16 m)
LensFirst order Fresnel lens (1855)
Third order Fresnel lens (1881)
Fourth order Fresnel lens (1906)
190 mm lens (1990)[3]
Range16 nmi (30 km; 18 mi) Edit this on Wikidata
CharacteristicFl (2) W 20s.
Stratford Point Lighthouse
Arealess than one acre
Built1881 (1881)
Architectural styleLate Victorian
MPSOperating Lighthouses in Connecticut MPS
NRHP reference No.89001476[4]
Added to NRHPMay 29, 1990

Stratford Point Light is a historic lighthouse in the Lordship neighborhood of Stratford, Connecticut, United States, at the mouth of the Housatonic River. The second tower was one of the first prefabricated cylindrical lighthouses in the country and remains active.

It sits on a 4-acre (1.6 ha) tract at the southeastern tip of Stratford Point.

History

1908 postcard

The first Stratford Point Lighthouse was built in 1822. In 1855 a fifth order lens was added to the 28-foot (8.5 m) wooden tower. In 1881, the tower and dwelling were razed and replaced with a 35-foot (11 m) tall, brick lined cast-iron tower and equipped with a third order Fresnel lens. The light was automated in 1970 with a modern beacon. It is an active aid to navigation and is used for Coast Guard housing.

The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[4]

Head keepers

  • Samuel Buddington (1822 – 1843)
  • William Merwin (1843 – 1844)
  • Samuel Buddington (1844 – 1848)
  • Amy Buddington (1848 – 1861)
  • Rufus Warren Buddington (1861 – 1869)
  • Benedict Lillingston (1869 – 1874)
  • John L. Brush (1874 – 1879)
  • Jerome B. Tuttle (1879 – 1880)
  • Theodore Judson (1880 – 1919)
  • William F. Petzolt (1919 – 1946)
  • Daniel F. McCoart (1946 – 1963)
  • Richard L. Fox (1963 – )

See also

References

  1. ↑ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Connecticut". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  2. ↑ Connecticut Historic Light Station Information & Photography United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 23 June 2016
  3. ↑ Stratford Point Lighthouse New England Lighthouses. Retrieved 23 June 2016
  4. 1 2 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  • "Lights & Legends, A Historical Guide to Lighthouses of Long Island Sound, Fishers Island Sound, and Block Island Sound", Harlan Hamilton, Westcott Publishing Company, 1987.
  • "Northeast Lights: Lighthouses and Lightships, Rhode Island to Cape Mary, New Jersey", Robert G. Bachand, Sea Sports Publications, 1989.
  • "Lighthouses of Southern New England: Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut, A Pictorial Guide", Courtney Thompson, CatNap Publications, 2002.
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