Dunkirk Light

Dunkirk Light
Location	Sycamore Rd., Dunkirk, New York, Point Gratiot on Lake Erie
Coordinates	42°29′38″N 79°21′14″W / 42.49389°N 79.35389°W
Tower
Constructed	1826
Foundation	Dressed Stone
Construction	Rubblestone encased in brick
Automated	1960
Height	18.5 m (61 ft)
Shape	Square
Markings	Upper 2/3 White, lower 1/3 natural, Red Lantern
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Light
First lit	1875
Focal height	82 feet (25 m)
Lens	Third Order Fresnel lens
Range	13 nmi (24 km; 15 mi)
Characteristic	Occulting White 4 seconds
	Point Gratiot Lighthouse Complex
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
	Point Gratiot Light, November 2010
Area	3.9 acres (1.6 ha)
Built	1875
Architectural style	Gothic, High Victorian Gothic
NRHP reference No.	79001568
Added to NRHP	December 18, 1979

Dunkirk Light, also known as Point Gratiot Light, is an active lighthouse located at Point Gratiot on Lake Erie in New York state.

The lighthouse was established in 1826 and the current tower was first lit in 1875. The lighthouse was automated in 1960 and is still operational. The foundation is made out of dressed stone and the lighthouse is made out of rubblestone encased in brick. The tower is square-shaped with the upper two thirds in white and the lower third left natural and the lantern housing in red. The original lens is a third order Fresnel lens installed in 1857 and is still in operation. Its being still in use makes it a rarity. Only 70 such lenses are operational in the United States, 16 being on the Great Lakes of which two are in New York.^[5] At the entrance to the park property is the South Buffalo North Side Light, formerly located in Buffalo Harbor. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Point Gratiot Lighthouse Complex in 1979.

Cultural

The Dunkirk Lighthouse is open daily except Sunday. Guided tours include climb to the top of the lighthouse, Veteran museums and gift shop.^[6]

The Archives Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a collection (#1055) of souvenir postcards of lighthouses and has digitized 272 of these and made them available online. These include postcards of Dunkirk (Point Gratiot) Light ^[7] with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

References

^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
^ "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: New York". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. August 8, 2009. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.
^ Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 38.
^ "ARLHS World List of Lights". Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "Fresnel Lenses Still in Operation" (PDF). USCG. November 14, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "Dunkirk Lighthouse Official Site". Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
^ "Smithsonian lighthouse postcards". Archived from the original on March 11, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

External links

Dunkirk Light in Lighthouse Digest's Lighthouse Explorer Database
Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veteran's Park Museum – official site
US-Lighthouses.com

Media related to Dunkirk Light at Wikimedia Commons

[nris-1] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.

[cghist-2] "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: New York". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. August 8, 2009. Archived from the original on May 1, 2017.

[cgll-3] Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 38.

[ARLHS-4] "ARLHS World List of Lights". Archived from the original on February 24, 2012. Retrieved February 7, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[uscgfl-5] "Fresnel Lenses Still in Operation" (PDF). USCG. November 14, 2009. Archived from the original (PDF) on March 25, 2009. Retrieved January 10, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[6] "Dunkirk Lighthouse Official Site". Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved September 24, 2010. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[postcard-7] "Smithsonian lighthouse postcards". Archived from the original on March 11, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2009. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |dead-url= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

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References

Further reading

External links