Great Captain Island Light
Encyclopedia
Great Captain Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse
on Great Captain Island
in the western Long Island Sound
off the coast of Greenwich
, Connecticut
, United States. The lighthouse is no longer in use.
A single dirt road leads to the lighthouse on the eastern side of the island, where most if the island's egrets tend to nest.
The Greenwich Department of Parks and Recreation oversees the island.
A total of $1.2 million was budgeted for the restoration project in 2008. Restoration plans call for a new beacon and restoration of the caretaker's cottage quarters in the same building. A memorial walkway, garden and plaque will honor victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Interior work on the lighthouse was scheduled for April through July, with no exterior work during that time in ordeer not to disturb breeding herons and egrets. The project was scheduled for completion in 2009. As of September, 2010 however the lighthouse has not yet been relit.
In the decade before 2007 a nonprofit group called Return the Light was formed and raised $305,000 for restoration work — most of it donated in the memory of Ben Fisher, one of the most active members of the group and a victim of the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The renovation is to include a tribute to the 16 local victims of the terrorist attacks. (Most worked in the World Trade Center; seven other victims had close ties to Greenwich.)
Some conservationists have expressed concern that the restoration work may fatally disturb nearby nesting herons and egrets. Although the work mostly involves gutting the interior of the structure, the conservationists say the increase in the number of visitors may disturb the wading birds, which have few other nesting options in the area and may just die off. In 2007, town officials and conservationists were discussing options to protect the birds and help repopulate them on the island. The plans could include limiting access to the lighthouse area to small, guided tours during the nesting season (March to August) and planting evergreen trees to separate the birds from the lighthouse area. Tom Baptist, executive director of Audubon Connecticut and a Greenwich resident, said he supports the renovation work together with measures to protect the birds.
In 1858, a fourth order Fresnel lens
was installed. In 1867, it was determined a new tower needed to be built and the new tower was completed in 1868. The original Fresnel lens was installed in the new tower.
The structure is of the same design as lighthouses at Sheffield Island
in Norwalk; Morgan Point
in Noank; Old Field Point Light
and Plum Island
in New York; and Block Island North
in Rhode Island.
In 1970, a freestanding skeleton tower replaced the light. A caretaker continued to live in the old lighthouse until 2003, when it became too dilapidated. The lighthouse eventually fell victim to vandals. In 1973, the town of Greenwich
acquired the lighthouse and had full time caretakers living in the light until 2003. In 1991 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places
.
No public tours of the lighthouse or island are available.
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....
on Great Captain Island
Great Captain Island
Great Captain Island, also known more familiarly as "Great Captains Island," is an island off the coast of Greenwich, Connecticut, and is the location of the 19th-century Great Captain Island Lighthouse....
in the western 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...
off the coast of Greenwich
Greenwich, Connecticut
Greenwich is a town in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 61,171. It is home to many hedge funds and other financial service companies. Greenwich is the southernmost and westernmost municipality in Connecticut and is 38+ minutes ...
, Connecticut
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, United States. The lighthouse is no longer in use.
A single dirt road leads to the lighthouse on the eastern side of the island, where most if the island's egrets tend to nest.
The Greenwich Department of Parks and Recreation oversees the island.
Renovation
The town government of Greenwich hopes to restore the lighthouse and re-light it. The restorations would allow public access to the interior, including possibly allowing people into the tower without having to go through the caretakers' quarters. To that end, the government authorized a $1 million appropriation for restoration work in May 2007. The renovations were expected to start as early as June 2007.A total of $1.2 million was budgeted for the restoration project in 2008. Restoration plans call for a new beacon and restoration of the caretaker's cottage quarters in the same building. A memorial walkway, garden and plaque will honor victims of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. Interior work on the lighthouse was scheduled for April through July, with no exterior work during that time in ordeer not to disturb breeding herons and egrets. The project was scheduled for completion in 2009. As of September, 2010 however the lighthouse has not yet been relit.
In the decade before 2007 a nonprofit group called Return the Light was formed and raised $305,000 for restoration work — most of it donated in the memory of Ben Fisher, one of the most active members of the group and a victim of the September 11 terrorist attack on the World Trade Center. The renovation is to include a tribute to the 16 local victims of the terrorist attacks. (Most worked in the World Trade Center; seven other victims had close ties to Greenwich.)
Some conservationists have expressed concern that the restoration work may fatally disturb nearby nesting herons and egrets. Although the work mostly involves gutting the interior of the structure, the conservationists say the increase in the number of visitors may disturb the wading birds, which have few other nesting options in the area and may just die off. In 2007, town officials and conservationists were discussing options to protect the birds and help repopulate them on the island. The plans could include limiting access to the lighthouse area to small, guided tours during the nesting season (March to August) and planting evergreen trees to separate the birds from the lighthouse area. Tom Baptist, executive director of Audubon Connecticut and a Greenwich resident, said he supports the renovation work together with measures to protect the birds.
History
The original Great Captain Lighthouse was built in 1829. An inspection in 1838 revealed the stone tower had been poorly constructed and the walls were already severely cracked.In 1858, a fourth order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A 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. In 1867, it was determined a new tower needed to be built and the new tower was completed in 1868. The original Fresnel lens was installed in the new tower.
The structure is of the same design as lighthouses at Sheffield Island
Sheffield Island Light
Sheffield Island Light is an historic Connecticut, USA, lighthouse located at the southern end of the Norwalk Islands on the west entrance of the Norwalk River on northern Long Island Sound....
in Norwalk; Morgan Point
Morgan Point Light
Morgan Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Noank, Connecticut, United States, on the west side of the mouth of the Mystic River.-History:In 1831 the original granite tower was built...
in Noank; Old Field Point Light
Old Field Point Light
Old Field Point Light is a lighthouse within the village of Old Field, New York between the entrances to Port Jefferson Harbor and Stony Brook Harbor on the north shore of Long Island....
and Plum Island
Plum Island Light
Plum Island Light, also known as Plum Gut Light, is located on the western end of Plum Island, which lies eastof Orient Point which in turn is at the end of the North Fork of Long Island...
in New York; and Block Island North
Block Island North Light
Block Island North Light , built in 1867, is a historic lighthouse on Block Island, Rhode Island .-History:The first light on the site was built in 1829. The current structure at Sandy Point is the fourth lighthouse built on the site and was made of granite and iron in 1867...
in Rhode Island.
Greenwich
Greenwich is a district of south London, England, located in the London Borough of Greenwich.Greenwich is best known for its maritime history and for giving its name to the Greenwich Meridian and Greenwich Mean Time...
acquired the lighthouse and had full time caretakers living in the light until 2003. In 1991 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...
.
No public tours of the lighthouse or island are available.
External links
- History of the lighthouse
- Great Captain Island Lighthouse - from Lighthousefriends.com
- Postcard picture of the lighthouse, 1914