Juniper Island (Lake Champlain)
Encyclopedia
Juniper Island is a 13 acres (52,609.2 m²) island
in Lake Champlain
, approximately 3.15 miles southwest of Burlington, Vermont's
King Street Ferry Dock. The island is home to the Juniper Island Light
house
The State of Vermont purchased the island for $200 in 1825 and ceded it to the federal government. A 30 feet (9.1 m) brick tower and keeper's house were constructed. Up to that point, lanterns hung on trees by landowners up and down the lake had served navigation; this would be the first true lighthouse
on the lake..
Apparently due to poor workmanship or materials or both, the original lighthouse had to be replaced less than twenty years later. That second lighthouse (a 25 feet (7.6 m) tower consisting of four cast iron
rings) is still there, though retired, and is the oldest cast iron lighthouse remaining in the US.
A 60 feet (18.3 m) skeleton tower light took over in 1954. Two years later, Juniper Island was sold at auction
to state senator Fred Fayette. The keeper's house was severely damaged by fire in 1962 and not repaired, though the tower and a separate shed for a fog bell were undamaged.
Fayette's family inherited the property, and in 2001 they constructed a new dwelling using nearly 18,000 bricks salvaged from the ruins of the original house. Two years later a new, taller tower replaced that of 1954. The family plans to restore the old tower, but it is unlikely to be relit (as has been done with other lights on the lake) since trees on the island obscure it from the water.
, perennial Liberty Union
candidate and Burlington restaurateur
Dennis Morrisseau suggested that Vermont legalize marijuana, use resulting tax proceeds to purchase the island, and locate the correctional facility there.
Island
An island or isle is any piece of sub-continental land that is surrounded by water. Very small islands such as emergent land features on atolls can be called islets, cays or keys. An island in a river or lake may be called an eyot , or holm...
in Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain
Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...
, approximately 3.15 miles southwest of Burlington, Vermont's
Burlington, Vermont
Burlington is the largest city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the shire town of Chittenden County. Burlington lies south of the U.S.-Canadian border and some south of Montreal....
King Street Ferry Dock. The island is home to the Juniper Island Light
Juniper Island Light
The Juniper Island Light on Juniper Island in Vermont is the oldest light station on Lake Champlain and the oldest surviving cast iron lighthouse in the United States.-History:...
house
The State of Vermont purchased the island for $200 in 1825 and ceded it to the federal government. A 30 feet (9.1 m) brick tower and keeper's house were constructed. Up to that point, lanterns hung on trees by landowners up and down the lake had served navigation; this would be the first true lighthouse
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 the lake..
Apparently due to poor workmanship or materials or both, the original lighthouse had to be replaced less than twenty years later. That second lighthouse (a 25 feet (7.6 m) tower consisting of four cast iron
Cast iron
Cast iron is derived from pig iron, and while it usually refers to gray iron, it also identifies a large group of ferrous alloys which solidify with a eutectic. The color of a fractured surface can be used to identify an alloy. White cast iron is named after its white surface when fractured, due...
rings) is still there, though retired, and is the oldest cast iron lighthouse remaining in the US.
A 60 feet (18.3 m) skeleton tower light took over in 1954. Two years later, Juniper Island was sold at auction
Auction
An auction is a process of buying and selling goods or services by offering them up for bid, taking bids, and then selling the item to the highest bidder...
to state senator Fred Fayette. The keeper's house was severely damaged by fire in 1962 and not repaired, though the tower and a separate shed for a fog bell were undamaged.
Fayette's family inherited the property, and in 2001 they constructed a new dwelling using nearly 18,000 bricks salvaged from the ruins of the original house. Two years later a new, taller tower replaced that of 1954. The family plans to restore the old tower, but it is unlikely to be relit (as has been done with other lights on the lake) since trees on the island obscure it from the water.
Controversy
During prolonged debate over where to put a correctional facility in Chittenden CountyChittenden County, Vermont
Chittenden County is a county located in the U.S. state of Vermont. As of 2010, the population was 156,545. Its shire town is Burlington. Chittenden is the most populous county in the state, with more than twice as many residents as Vermont's second-most populous county, Rutland.Chittenden County...
, perennial Liberty Union
Liberty Union Party
The Liberty Union Party of Vermont, founded in 1970 by former Congressman William H. Meyer, Peter Diamondstone and others, originated in the anti-war and People's Party movements of the late 1960s and defines itself as a nonviolent socialist party.-History:...
candidate and Burlington restaurateur
Restaurateur
A restaurateur is a person who opens and runs restaurants professionally. Although over time the term has come to describe any person who owns a restaurant, traditionally it refers to a highly skilled professional who is proficient in all aspects of the restaurant business.-Etymology:The word...
Dennis Morrisseau suggested that Vermont legalize marijuana, use resulting tax proceeds to purchase the island, and locate the correctional facility there.