Juniper Island Light
Encyclopedia
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.
A new tower, also 30 feet tall, was constructed in 1846. This tower was constructed of four rings of cast iron, attached to a brick keeper's house through a passageway. This tower originally retained the old light's beacon, but was upgraded with a fourth-order Fresnel lens
in 1853. Early in the next century, the island was used as a storage depot for fuel, buoys, and other items.
The light was deactivated in 1954 in favor of a steel tower placed closer to the water, and the island as a whole was sold at auction to state senator Fred Fayette. Unfortunately the keeper's house was severely damaged by fire in 1962, though the tower and a separate shed for a fog bell were undamaged. Fayette's family inherited the property, and in 2001 they reconstructed the house using bricks from the remains of its predecessor. 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.
Juniper Island (Lake Champlain)
Juniper Island is a island in Lake Champlain, approximately southwest of Burlington, Vermont's King Street Ferry Dock. The island is home to the Juniper Island Lighthouse...
in Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
is the oldest light station on 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...
and the oldest surviving cast iron 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....
in the United States.
History
A light station was established on the island in 1826, displacing a private beacon consisting of a lantern on a post. The tower constructed was of brick, 30 feet tall, and lit with the lamp and reflector system typical of the period. The light was intended to indicate to ships the proximity of Burlington's harbor. This tower was reported to be in disrepair by 1838.A new tower, also 30 feet tall, was constructed in 1846. This tower was constructed of four rings of cast iron, attached to a brick keeper's house through a passageway. This tower originally retained the old light's beacon, but was upgraded with 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...
in 1853. Early in the next century, the island was used as a storage depot for fuel, buoys, and other items.
The light was deactivated in 1954 in favor of a steel tower placed closer to the water, and the island as a whole was sold at auction to state senator Fred Fayette. Unfortunately the keeper's house was severely damaged by fire in 1962, though the tower and a separate shed for a fog bell were undamaged. Fayette's family inherited the property, and in 2001 they reconstructed the house using bricks from the remains of its predecessor. 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.