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Fire Island Lighthouse

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Fire Island Lighthouse
Fire Island Lighthouse
Map
LocationFire Island inlet, Long Island
Coordinates40°37′55″N 73°13′08″W / 40.632°N 73.219°W / 40.632; -73.219
Tower
Constructed1826
FoundationConnecticut River Blue Stone/timber
ConstructionBrick encased in cement
Automated1986
Height168 feet (51 m) [1]
ShapeConical tower
MarkingsFour black and white bands
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Light
First lit1858
DeactivatedActive, inactive 1974–1986
Focal height55 m (180 ft) Edit this on Wikidata
LensFirst order Fresnel 1856
Range24 nautical miles (44 km; 28 mi)
CharacteristicFlashing White 7.5 seconds counterclockwise.

The Fire Island Lighthouse is a visible landmark on the Great South Bay, in southern Suffolk County, New York on the western end of Fire Island, a barrier island off the southern coast of Long Island. The lighthouse is located within Fire Island National Seashore and just to the east of Robert Moses State Park. It is part of the Fire Island Light Station which contains the light, keepers quarters, the lens building containing the original first-order Fresnel lens, and a boat house.

History

The original first order Fresnel lens

The current lighthouse is a 180-foot (55 m) stone tower that began operation in 1858 to replace the 74-foot (23 m) tower originally built in 1826. The United States Coast Guard decommissioned the light in 1974. In 1982 the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society (FILPS) was formed to preserve the lighthouse. FILPS raised over $1.2 million to restore the tower and light. On May 25, 1986 the United States Coast Guard returned the Fire Island Lighthouse to an active aid to navigation. On February 22, 2006, the light became a private aid to navigation. It continues to be on the nautical charts, but is operated and maintained by the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society and not the USCG. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981 and a boundary increase for the national historic district occurred in 2010.[3][4][5][6]

It is listed as Fire Island Light, number 695, in the USCG light lists.[7]

When the lighthouse was built it was on the edge of Fire Island Inlet and marked the western end of Fire Island. However Fire Island has extended itself through accumulating sand so that the lighthouse is now nearly five miles (8.0 km) from the western end of the island at Democrat Point.[8]

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 Fire Island Light[9] with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

The lighthouse celebrated its 150th Anniversary in 2008, the same year as the 100th Anniversary of Robert Moses State Park.

Access

Fire Island Lighthouse

The lighthouse can be accessed by a short walk from Robert Moses State Park – Field 5. It is open to the public daily. Tower tours are available for a small fee.

See also

References

  1. ^ "Inventory of Historic Lighthouses". National Park Service. Retrieved 2007-08-14.
  2. ^ ARLHS World List of Lights
  3. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  4. ^ a b "WEEKLY LIST OF ACTIONS TAKEN ON PROPERTIES: 1/25/10 THROUGH 1/29/10". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-02-05.
  5. ^ Steven Kesselman (April 1981). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Fire Island Light Station". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-02-20. See also: "Accompanying three photos".
  6. ^ Stephen Olausen and Laura Kline (January 2009). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Fire Island Light Station Historic District (boundary increase)". New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. Retrieved 2010-02-20. See also: "Accompanying 18 photos".
  7. ^ Light List, Volumes 1-7. United States Coast Guard.
  8. ^ "Robert Moses State Park/Fire Island National Seashore". Geology of National Parks. United States Geological Survey. Retrieved November 22, 2015.
  9. ^ Smithsonian lighthouse postcards
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