Horton Point Light
Encyclopedia
Horton Point Light is a lighthouse on the north side of Eastern Long Island, New York near Southold
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and the lighthouse is built out of granite and brick with stucco. A square tower is attached to a rectangular house. The tower is 58 feet (17.7 m) high with the focal plane of the light being 103 feet (31.4 m) above sea level. The tower is white with a black lantern and a copper dome. The light has a slow green flash every ten seconds.
Southold, New York
Southold is one of ten towns in Suffolk County, New York, United States. It is located in the northeastern tip of the county, on the North Fork of Long Island. The population was 20,599 at the 2000 census...
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History
The current lighthouse was established and the tower was first lit in 1857. The site is on a bluff 60 feet (18.3 m) above Long Island Sound. The tower was automated in 1933 and is now operational. The light was deactivated from 1933 to 1990. The foundation is graniteGranite
Granite is a common and widely occurring type of intrusive, felsic, igneous rock. Granite usually has a medium- to coarse-grained texture. Occasionally some individual crystals are larger than the groundmass, in which case the texture is known as porphyritic. A granitic rock with a porphyritic...
and the lighthouse is built out of granite and brick with stucco. A square tower is attached to a rectangular house. The tower is 58 feet (17.7 m) high with the focal plane of the light being 103 feet (31.4 m) above sea level. The tower is white with a black lantern and a copper dome. The light has a slow green flash every ten seconds.
Chronology
- 1790: President George Washington commissioned the lighthouse.
- 1855: Land to build to lighthouse on was purchased by the US government for $550.
- 1857: Lighthouse was constructed and lit with William Sinclair serving as the first light keeper.
- 1933: Light was turned off in the tower and a skeleton tower was lit on shore.
- 1934: In January, Southold Park District purchased lighthouse buildings and grounds from the US Department of Commerce for $1.00.
- 1938: The last keeper stayed until the hurricane of 1938.
- 1976: Restoration of the lighthouse was started.
- 1990: Major restoration allowed for the repair of the tower both internally and externally. The light was reopened and relit. The skeleton tower (seen in photo to right) on the shoreline was removed.
- 1994: Property is listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
- 2007: The lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation and hosts a museum. Visitors are able to climb the tower.