The 5 Most Beautiful New York Lighthouses

The state of New York is famous for many things, from Broadway musicals to the Adirondacks, Catskills, and beyond, but one of its oldest attractions is its abundance of beautiful lighthouses. No visit to New York would be complete without visiting some of these historic structures, so read on to discover which lighthouses you should visit along the way!

Montauk Point Lighthouse

The Montauk Point Lighthouse is perhaps the most famous lighthouse in Long Island, New York. It was the first lighthouse to be built in the state of New York and is currently the fourth oldest lighthouse still in operation today. The Montauk Point Lighthouse stands 110 feet tall on the east side of Long Island, overlooking the Block Island Sound and the Atlantic Ocean. It takes 137 steps to get to the top. 

The Montauk Point Lighthouse was built where the British Navy used to light signal fires during the American Revolution, as the Montauket tribe did before them. President George Washington called for its construction in 1792, and it was finished over a five-month period from June 7th to November 5th, 1796. John McComb Jr. built the lighthouse and the keepers’ quarters using $22,300 appropriated from Congress and fitted the tower with a first-order Fresnel lens that was later replaced with a 3-1/2 order Fresnel lens in 1903. It was eventually automated in 1987 with a 1,000-watt beacon that shines 19 miles out over the water.

In 1939, as World War II approached, the United States Coast Guard assumed control of the Montauk Point Lighthouse and built a second tower next to it to help keep watch for submarines. The tower was leased to the Montauk Historical Society in 1987, who eventually bought the lighthouse in 1996. In 2012 the Montauk Point Lighthouse became a National Historic Landmark, and today it is often rented as an event space for music, art, weddings, and even sporting events such as triathlons and relays.

Hudson-Athens Lighthouse

The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse stands atop a mudflat directly between the riverside cities of Huson and Athens. This area – known as the Middle Ground Flats – is completely covered by the Hudson River whenever the tide rises. This fact creates a significant risk for passing ships. The phenomenon was noticed as early as the 1830’s when locals in both towns first began to float the idea of building a lighthouse to protect their ports.

By June 10th, 1872 the United States Congress regarded the area as dangerous enough to warrant a solution. Subsequently, they approved funds totaling $35,000 to help build what was referred to at the time as the Hudson City Lighthouse. Construction officially started in 1873. By November 1st of the following year, the forty-six-foot tower was fully operational. It was lit by its inaugural lighthouse keeper Henry D. Best. 

A sixth-order Fresnel lens was installed and kept until its replacement by a fifth-order Fresnel lens in 1926. Many lighthouses were taken over by the United States Coast Guard during the outbreak of World War II. The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse is unique in that it was operated by the Coast Guard from the start. Eventually, ownership was transferred to the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society.

Automation Improvements

By 1950, technology had advanced to the point that the tower was completely automated. The initial plan was to tear down the tower and replace it with a pole light. At the behest of the Hudson River Valley Commission, the lighthouse was designated as a recreational park. It remained largely unchanged until 1982. Citizens from both cities created the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society (HALPS) and took over care of the premises.

The solitary location of the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse means it is only able to be visited via boat. Annual tours are offered by HALPS from July through October. Today it still helps ships to navigate the Hudson River via its automated light.

Dunkirk Lighthouse

The town of Dunkirk, New York lies along the shoreline of Lake Eerie. It is an important port town with a harbor that could benefit from the presence of a lighthouse. In May of 1826, the United States Congress approved the construction of the Dunkirk Lighthouse. They provided $6000 to Jesse Peck so he could build the 50-foot tower and lighthouse keeper’s quarters on a twenty-foot cliffside on Point Gratiot. 

It was finished by Jesse Peck and his team in 1827. The lighthouse and quarters resides on land donated by Walter Smith, a merchant and landowner who had a history of personally investing in the city’s development after moving there from Fredonia. The $10,000 third-order Fresnel lens it was fitted with in 1857 is still on display today.

By 1874 the premises had become dilapidated and over the next two years were replaced for $15,000 by a sixty-one-foot tower made of stone and a Victorian-style house for the lighthouse keeper. A sixth-order Fresnel lens was ordered for the new tower, and it was fully operational by July 1st, 1876.

The development of electricity resulted in the dissolution of the lighthouse keeper post in 1923. When World War II began in 1939, the keeper quarters were temporarily occupied by the United States Coast Guard, and soon after slated for demolition. By 1962 the light was automated, and a lease was established between the Coast Guard and a group of citizens to help establish the Dunkirk Lighthouse as a museum and memorial park.

This led to the restoration of the original keepers’ quarters, as well as a gift shop and separate building to display wartime artifacts and objects relevant to the lighthouse’s history. Tours of the lighthouse are available from May to October.

Tibbetts Point Lighthouse

The Tibbetts Point Lighthouse was built on land given to the United States Federal Government by Captain John Tibbetts in 1827. The premises included a thirty-foot tower and a two-story keepers quarters. All constructed for $1747 and operating by October 1st of that same year. 

Within a decade the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse and its accompanying dwelling were in a derelict condition. They were leaking from their respective roofs and in bad need of repair. By 1852 it had become enough of an issue that an official petition for the restoration of the lighthouse had been signed with broad support and filed to the Lighthouse Board. 

This prompted United States Congress to appropriate $5000 for the effort, which took two years to complete. On August 1st of 1854, the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse was back in working condition, sporting a fourth-order Fresnel lens. By 1877 it was again in need of repair work. The keeper’s quarters were completely rebuilt from the ground up. The tower was also extended to fifty-nine feet tall, greatly improving the navigability of Lake Ontario. In 1907 the assistant keeper’s dwelling was reconstructed.

Automation Updates

The Tibbetts Point Lighthouse received electricity in November of 1930. It was later taken over by the United States Coast Guard in 1939 as Word War II approached. In the 1970s the light in the tower was automated. The lighthouse keeper’s house was converted into a hostel in 1984. In 1991, control of the lighthouse was given to the town of Cape Vincent. With the help of the Tibbets Point Lighthouse Society the premises were restored.

Today the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse features a visitors center and the last functioning Fresnel lens on Lake Ontario. The hostel is still in operation, and visitors to the lighthouse will be greeted with plenty of opportunities for guided tours and historical information via exhibits and displays.

Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse

Unlike some lighthouses, the Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse’s purpose was not to help sailors reach the shore but to mark the coastline as a point of danger for ships to avoid in this part of Lake Ontario.  Already the deadly conditions around Thirty Mile Point had doomed four vessels. They were the Le Griffon, a ship commandeered by the famous explorer and fur-trader René-Robert Cavelier, Sieur de La Salle, and the H.M.S. Ontario, a Revolutionary War-era British warship with 88 passengers, all of whom died in the incident.

By 1872 the local Lighthouse Board called for the erection of a lighthouse for the area. They secured $30,000 from United States Congress by March of the following year. Construction was delayed by multiple issues. These included the necessary purchasing of 2 acres of farmland, creating a road and bridge for the workers to use while building the premises, and the persistence of inclement weather. 

The seventy-foot tower, made largely of stone, was completed in January of 1875. It was fitted with a third-order Fresnel lens that could project up to 18 miles over the sea. An accompanying two-story dwelling for lighthouse keepers and their assistants was also built on the premises, complete with seven rooms. The Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse received electricity in 1885. It remained in the care of successive lighthouse keepers until 1939 when the United States Coast Guard took control of most U.S. lighthouses in the wake of World War II.

Decommissioned

It was decommissioned in 1958 but was purchased by the state of New York a few years later in 1962. In 1984 the lighthouse was included in the National Register of Historic Places. In the years since, the premises have been converted into the Golden Hill State Park. With the help of Friends of Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse, the tower and keepers’ dwellings have been rebuilt. Camping in the park is an option. The third story of the lighthouse can also be rented in week-long intervals for those visiting Thirty Mile Point. Guided tours, museum displays, and a gift shop are all part of the experience of visiting the lighthouse today. It is an excellent stop when you are visiting Lake Ontario.

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