Execution Rocks Lighthouse
Encyclopedia
Execution Rocks Light is a lighthouse
in the middle of Long Island Sound
on the border between New Rochelle
and Sands Point, New York
. It stands 55 feet tall, with a white light flashing every 10 seconds. The granite tower is painted white with a brown band around the middle. It has an attached stone keeper's house which has not been inhabited since the light was automated in 1979.
when British
colonial authorities executed people by chaining them to the rocks at low tide, allowing the rising water to drown them. Though the rumors are true, the name for this island was actually chosen to reflect the historically dangerous shipping area created by the rocks' exposure during low tides. On March 3, 1847, the United States Congress
appropriated $25,000 for creation of Execution Rocks Lighthouse. Designed by Alexander Parris
, construction was completed in 1849, although it was not lit until 1850. Over the years, it has survived both a fire and a shipwreck.
Although technically part of the city of New Rochelle, the island is under the authority of the United States Coast Guard and is off limits to the public. It can be seen, however, during the Long Island Lighthouse Society's Spring Cold Coast Cruise.
A Daboll trumpet
was added to Execution Rocks Light on Jan 25, 1869.
On May 29, 2007, the Department of the Interior identified Execution Rocks Light Station as surplus under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act
of 2000. The property was described as
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
in 2007 as Execution Rocks Light Station. On January 27, 2009, the Secretary of the Interior announced that Execution Rocks Light would be transferred to the Philadelphia
-based Historically Significant Structures, which would partner with the Science Museum of Long Island to restore the light.
The lighthouse was featured on the Travel Channel
show Ghost Adventures
in 2009.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in the middle of Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
on the border between New Rochelle
New Rochelle, New York
New Rochelle is a city in Westchester County, New York, United States, in the southeastern portion of the state.The town was settled by refugee Huguenots in 1688 who were fleeing persecution in France...
and Sands Point, New York
Sands Point, New York
Sands Point is a village located at the northernmost tip of the Cow Neck Peninsula on the North Shore of Long Island in Nassau County, New York. As of the United States 2010 Census, the village population was 2,675. The Incorporated Village of Sands Point is in the Town of North...
. It stands 55 feet tall, with a white light flashing every 10 seconds. The granite tower is painted white with a brown band around the middle. It has an attached stone keeper's house which has not been inhabited since the light was automated in 1979.
History
It is rumored that the lighthouse's site got its name before the American Revolutionary WarAmerican Revolutionary War
The American Revolutionary War , the American War of Independence, or simply the Revolutionary War, began as a war between the Kingdom of Great Britain and thirteen British colonies in North America, and ended in a global war between several European great powers.The war was the result of the...
when British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
colonial authorities executed people by chaining them to the rocks at low tide, allowing the rising water to drown them. Though the rumors are true, the name for this island was actually chosen to reflect the historically dangerous shipping area created by the rocks' exposure during low tides. On March 3, 1847, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
appropriated $25,000 for creation of Execution Rocks Lighthouse. Designed by Alexander Parris
Alexander Parris
Alexander Parris was a prominent American architect-engineer. Beginning as a housewright, he evolved into an architect whose work transitioned from Federal style architecture to the later Greek Revival. Parris taught Ammi B. Young, and was among the group of architects influential in founding what...
, construction was completed in 1849, although it was not lit until 1850. Over the years, it has survived both a fire and a shipwreck.
Although technically part of the city of New Rochelle, the island is under the authority of the United States Coast Guard and is off limits to the public. It can be seen, however, during the Long Island Lighthouse Society's Spring Cold Coast Cruise.
A Daboll trumpet
Daboll trumpet
A Daboll trumpet is an air trumpet foghorn which had been developed by an American, Celadon Leeds Daboll, of New London, Connecticut. It was basically a small coal-fired hot air engine, which compressed air in a cylinder on top of which was a reed horn....
was added to Execution Rocks Light on Jan 25, 1869.
On May 29, 2007, the Department of the Interior identified Execution Rocks Light Station as surplus under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act
National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act
The National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 is American legislation creating a process for the transfer of federally-owned lighthouses into private hands...
of 2000. The property was described as
- "Designed and built (1848-49) by Alexander Parris. Six story 72 ft. tower has frustum shape. Cut granite masonry keeper’s dwelling (1867-68) in Gothic Revival style with 2.5 floors, approx. 1000 SF. Early example of “wave swept tower” engineering. On protective rip-rap artificial island (approx. 0.3 acre) with small boat basin.
- Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by American Society of Engineers. Property must be maintained according to the Secretary of Interior’s Standards for Rehabilitation. Historic covenants will be incorporated into the Quitclaim Deed; however, no submerged land will be conveyed under the Quitclaim Deed."
- The U.S. Coast Guard shall retain an easement for an Arc of Visibility and an unrestricted right of access in, to and across the Property to maintain, operate, service, repair and install equipment as necessary to support its aid to navigation mission. Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard shall retain the unrestricted right to relocate or add any aids to navigation, or communications towers and equipment (along with necessary right of ingress/egress), or make any changes on any portion of the property as may be necessary for navigation/public safety purposes."
It was added to the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 2007 as Execution Rocks Light Station. On January 27, 2009, the Secretary of the Interior announced that Execution Rocks Light would be transferred to the Philadelphia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Philadelphia is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Philadelphia County, with which it is coterminous. The city is located in the Northeastern United States along the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers. It is the fifth-most-populous city in the United States,...
-based Historically Significant Structures, which would partner with the Science Museum of Long Island to restore the light.
The lighthouse was featured on the Travel Channel
Travel Channel
The Travel Channel is a satellite and cable television channel that is headquartered in Chevy Chase, Maryland, US. It features documentaries and how-to shows related to travel and leisure around the United States and throughout the world. Programming has included shows in African animal safaris,...
show Ghost Adventures
Ghost Adventures
Ghost Adventures is a weekly American paranormal television series that premiered on October 17, 2008 on the Travel Channel. Currently produced by MY-Tupelo Entertainment , the program follows and stars ghost hunters Zak Bagans, Nick Groff, and Aaron Goodwin, as they investigate locations that are...
in 2009.
Chronology
A chronological history of the lighthouse from the Coast Guard:- 1847, March: Congress appropriated $25,000 for the light to be built.
- 1849, May: Construction was completed.
- 1850: The lighthouse was first lit.
- 1856: A fourth order Fresnel lensFresnel lensA Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
was installed. - 1868: The keeper's quarters were added. The keeper no longer had to live in the cramped space inside the tower.
- 1918. December 8: A fire with an unknown origin caused $13,500 in damages. The engine house and machinery were destroyed, the tower and oil house were damaged and the windows, woodwork, gutters and eaves were also damaged.
- 1979, December 5: The lighthouse was automated. A VEGA lanternVega IndustriesVega Industries Limited is a company in Porirua, New Zealand which manufactures specialized navigation and signal lights for use in transportation industries, primarily marine navigation. Vega has been in business since 1972...
replaced the Fresnel lens. - 2010: Historically Significant Structures Inc. is giving tower climb tours of the lighthouse in the summer.