Location | 1 Lighthouse Point Drive, Dunkirk, New York, Point Gratiot on Lake Erie |
---|---|
Coordinates | 42°29′38″N79°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 | |
Area | 3.9 acres (1.6 ha) |
Built | 1875 |
Architectural style | Gothic, High Victorian Gothic |
NRHP reference No. | 79001568 [1] |
Added to NRHP | December 18, 1979 |
The Dunkirk Lighthouse, also known as the Point Gratiot Light, is an active lighthouse located at Point Gratiot on Lake Erie in New York state. [2] [3] [4]
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 in the original 1826 light 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.
In the 1868 Annual Report of the Lighthouse Board, approximately seven years before the rebuilding of the lighthouse, it was noted that the lighthouse was falling into disrepair:
“The keeper’s dwelling leaks and the plastering is out of order. The roof leaks and the sills of the covered way which connects the dwelling with the tower are rotten. The main tower is cracked, and the fence enclosing a portion of the grounds is of indifferent quality. The beacon tower is decayed and leaks. The alterations and improvements in progress at Dunkirk, under the direction of the engineer department of the arm, afford an appropriate occasion for renovating and perfecting the aids to navigation at this station.” [6]
Additionally, in 1874, the Annual Report of the Lighthouse board, again, noted the rapidly declining condition of the lighthouse:
“The old tower is in a very precarious condition; large sections of the outer shell may fall off at any moment, thereby endangering not only the whole tower with the apparatus, but also the dwelling and its tenants. It is urgently recommended to rebuild the tower at the earliest possible time. An appropriation of $15,000 is required.” [7]
The third order Fresnel lens added to the original lighthouse in 1857 was reused in the new 1875 lighthouse. [8] It is currently valued at about $1.5 million. [ citation needed ]
In 1960, along with the automation of the lighthouse, the assistant keeper's house was demolished. [ citation needed ]
After the automation of the lighthouse, local residents banded together, bought the property and repaired the building, turning it into a lighthouse and veteran's museum run by volunteers.
In 2022, the Dunkirk Planning Board approved the addition of a pavilion to the property for hosting weddings and other outdoor events. [9]
The Dunkirk Lighthouse also worked in collaboration with the Dunkirk Pier-head light, guiding ships into the Dunkirk harbor. The assistant lighthouse keeper manned the pier-head light.
There have been five total towers that have served as the pier-head light. The first two were destroyed by ice from the lake. The third was removed in 1939, and replaced by a metal skeleton tower. The metal tower was then replaced by the current tower, and the skeleton tower now resides on the property of the Dunkirk Lighthouse. [8]
All four rooms of the second floor of the original keeper's house are part of the veteran's museum. There is one room devoted to each of the branches of the armed forces, with an additional building housing artifacts from the Coast Guard. [10] Additionally, the hallway contains an exhibit on the Vietnam War. Almost all artifacts contained in the museum are donated by local residents or by the United States Coast Guard, due to their association with the lighthouse.
The Dunkirk Lighthouse is open seasonally from May through October. The hours are 10:00am to 2:00pm in the spring and fall, and 10:00am to 4:00pm in the summer. Guided tours include a climb to the top of the lighthouse, a tour of the keeper's house, Veteran museums and gift shop. [11] The lighthouse is also open to private ghost investigations, and runs public ones in the fall through local paranormal investigators. [12] [13]
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) Lighthouse [14] with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.
Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine. The light station sits on a head of land at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor, which is within Casco Bay in the Gulf of Maine. Completed in 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in Maine. The light station is automated, and the tower, beacon, and foghorn are maintained by the United States Coast Guard, while the former lighthouse keepers' house is a maritime museum within Fort Williams Park.
Split Rock Lighthouse is a lighthouse located southwest of Silver Bay, Minnesota, US on the North Shore of Lake Superior. The structure was designed by lighthouse engineer Ralph Russell Tinkham and was completed in 1910 by the United States Lighthouse Service for $75,000, including the buildings and the land. It is considered one of the most picturesque lighthouses in the United States.
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The Alpena Light, also known as the Thunder Bay River Lighthouse or Alpena Breakwater Light, is a lighthouse on Lake Huron near Alpena, Michigan. Standing on the north breakwater of Alpena Harbor, the light marks the entrance to the Thunder Bay River from Thunder Bay. The current lighthouse, built in 1914, replaced earlier wooden structures which had been in use since 1877 and 1888. The current light is a weather-protected structure on a steel frame. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2006, and the state inventory list the same year.
Fort Gratiot Light, the first lighthouse in the state of Michigan, was constructed north of Fort Gratiot in 1825 by Lucius Lyon, who later became one of Michigan's first U.S. Senators.
Coxsackie Light was a lighthouse near the town of Coxsackie, New York, on the northerly end of the Low island northerly of Coxsackie island and on the westerly side of the main channel of the Hudson River.
North Dumpling Light is a lighthouse on North Dumpling Island in Long Island Sound off Fishers Island, New York. It was constructed in 1849, rebuilt in 1871, and deactivated in 1959, with the aid to navigation being moved to an automated metal tower placed nearby. The lighthouse itself and the grounds around it were sold to a private party. Around 1977, a new owner convinced the U. S. Coast Guard to return the light to the lighthouse and remove the skeleton tower.
The Presque Isle Light, historically nicknamed the "Flash Light", is a lighthouse on the shore of Lake Erie in U.S. state of Pennsylvania. It is one of three lighthouses in Erie, along with the Erie Land Light and the North Pier Light. The lighthouse is situated on the northern shoreline of Presque Isle State Park overlooking the beach.
The Milwaukee Pierhead Light is an active lighthouse located in the Milwaukee harbor, just south of downtown. This aid to navigation is a 'sister' of the Kenosha North Pier Light.
Ashtabula Harbor Light is a lighthouse in Ashtabula, Ohio. It was listed in the National Register on August 8, 1983.
Port Sanilac Light is a United States Coast Guard lighthouse located on Point Sanilac, near Port Sanilac on the eastern side of Michigan's Thumb. It is an automated and active aid to navigation on Lake Huron.
South Manitou Island Lighthouse is located on South Manitou Island in Lake Michigan, 16 miles (26 km) west of Leland, Michigan. It is in Leelanau County in western Northern Michigan.
Pointe aux Barques Lighthouse is an active lighthouse located in Huron County in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located along the shores of Lake Huron on the northeastern tip of the Thumb. Originally constructed in 1848, it is one of the oldest active lighthouses in the state. The name is translated as "point of little boats" from the French language, which refers to the shallow coastline that poses a threat to larger boats.
The Marquette Harbor Light is located on Lake Superior in Marquette, Michigan, a part of the Upper Peninsula. It is an active aid to navigation.
Gay Head Light is a historic lighthouse located on Martha's Vineyard westernmost point off of Lighthouse Road in Aquinnah, Massachusetts.
Sodus Point Light is a lighthouse that was built on Sodus Point on Lake Ontario, New York. The lighthouse has been replaced by a modern skeleton tower. The lighthouse tower is a square, pyramidal cast iron tower on a concrete and stone pier. It is white with red trim. There is a 21⁄2 story limestone keepers quarters that was built in 1871, which is currently used as a museum. The lighthouse is owned by the Village of Sodus Point, New York. There is a long-term lease with the Sodus Bay Historical Society to manage the lighthouse. The lighthouse is on the National Register of Historic Places, with reference #76001288, as Sodus Point Lighthouse. The pier and shore light served simultaneously from 1834 until 1901. The dwelling was used by the Coast Guard as housing until 1984. There is a 31⁄2 order Fresnel lens on display.
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