Saybrook Breakwater Light
 Saybrook Breakwater Light | |
 | |
| Location | Old Saybrook Connecticut United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°15′47.68″N 72°20′34″W / 41.2632444°N 72.34278°WCoordinates: 41°15′47.68″N 72°20′34″W / 41.2632444°N 72.34278°W |
| Constructed | 1886 |
| Foundation | cast iron and concrete caisson |
| Construction | sparkplug lighthouse |
| Tower height | 48 feet (15 m) |
| Tower shape | 2-stages cylindrical tower with double balcony and lantern incorporating keeper's quarter |
| Power source | solar power  |
| Operator | United States Coast Guard[1] [2] |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Automated | 1959 |
| Focal height | 58 feet (18 m) |
| Lens | Fifth order Fresnel lens (original), 300 mm lens (current) |
| Characteristic | Fl G 6s. |
| Admiralty no. | J0744 |
| ARLHS no. | USA-740 |
| USCG no. | 1-21115 |
Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse | |
| Location | S terminus of Saybrook Jetty at mouth of Connecticut River, Old Saybrook, Connecticut |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1886 |
| Architect | Smith, G.W. & F. Iron Co. |
| MPS | Operating Lighthouses in Connecticut MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001474[3] |
| Added to NRHP | May 29, 1990 |
Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse is a sparkplug lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, at Fenwick Point at the mouth of the Connecticut River near Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It is featured[4] on the state's "Preserve the Sound" license plates.
"That outer lighthouse is the symbol of Old Saybrook," town First Selectman Michael Pace said in 2007, when the town was making plans to buy the lighthouse from the federal government.[4]
The lighthouse is also known simply as "Breakwater Light" or "Outer Light". It is one of two built off Lynde Point in the nineteenth century. The other lighthouse, known as Lynde Point Light or more commonly as "Inner Light", is 75 years older than this lighthouse. The two lighthouses mark the harbor channel at the mouth of the Connecticut River.[4]
History[]
The lighthouse has been in service since 1886.[4]
 | This section needs to be updated. (November 2017) |
In 2007, the federal government announced it would sell the lighthouse as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Program, which was created to transfer responsibility for maintenance of lighthouses to municipal governments or private entities. The Old Saybrook town government expressed an interest in the lighthouse, which is not expected to be transferred from the federal government until sometime in 2008 or 2009. The National Park Service will screen potential owners. The Coast Guard would continue to maintain the light while the new owners maintain the historic structure. The Coast Guard also owns the land on which the lighthouse sits, and transferring the land is not part of the preservation program.[4] As of January 14, 2014, the Minio family are the new private owners of the Old Saybrook Point Lighthouse. Joseph C. Minio, Sr. and Dr. Christopher M. Minio are co-Lighthouse owners and keepers.[citation needed]
Head keepers[]
- Frank W. Paumlee (1886 – 1890)
- John G. Shipworth (1890 – 1896)
- George W. Fife (1896 – 1897)
- Robert A. Bishop (1897 – 1898)
- Nathaniel Dodge (1898)
- Thomas Burke (1898 – 1899)
- John Dahlman (1899 – 1907)
- Herbert S. Knowles (1907 – 1911)
- Simon Sfvorinich (1911 – 1912)
- Joseph F. Woods (1912 – at least 1917)
- John A. Davis (at least 1919 – 1920)
- Paul G. Peterson (1920 – at least 1921)
- Elwood L. Butler (at least 1923)
- Andrew A. McLintock (1932 – 1935)
- Sidney Z. Gross (at least 1938 – 1940)
- Roger H. Green (1940 – 1943)
- Thomas A. Buckridge (1943 – 1944)
- George E. Sheffield (1948 – 1953)
See also[]
- List of lighthouses in Connecticut
- List of lighthouses in the United States
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Middlesex County, Connecticut
References[]
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Connecticut". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-06-22.
- ^ Connecticut Historic Light Station Information & Photography United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 22 June 2016
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d e Associated Press news article, titled "Old Saybrook lighthouse for sale for $1" in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, August 7, 2007, page A4
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. CT-178, "Saybrook Breakwater Light, South tip of west end of Saybrook Breakwater, Old Saybrook, Middlesex County, CT", 15 photos, 10 data pages, 3 photo caption pages
External links[]
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- Lighthouses completed in 1886
- Old Saybrook, Connecticut
- Long Island Sound
- Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
- Tourist attractions in Middlesex County, Connecticut
- Transportation buildings and structures in Middlesex County, Connecticut
- Historic American Engineering Record in Connecticut
- National Register of Historic Places in Middlesex County, Connecticut
- United States lighthouse stubs