Stonington Harbor Light
Encyclopedia
The Stonington Harbor Light is a historic nineteenth century lighthouse
located on the east side of Stonington Harbor in Stonington
, Connecticut
. A light housed in a small granite lighthouse known by this name was originally built by the federal government in 1824, and was located on Windmill Point in the harbor. Erosion led to the lighthouse being torn down and relocated to its current site in 1840. A second stone building was constructed and the 35 feet (10.7 m) tower was attached to the structure.
In the 1880s, the Stonington Breakwater Light was constructed farther out in the harbor, and the Stonington Harbor Light was decommissioned in 1889.
The site is now the home of the Stonington Historical Society, which uses the building as The Old Lighthouse Museum. Holdings in the museum document the area's long and distinguished cultural and nautical history, and exhibits include a sixth-order Fresnel lens
.
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....
located on the east side of Stonington Harbor in Stonington
Stonington (borough), Connecticut
Stonington is a borough and the town center of the town of Stonington in New London County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 1,032 at the 2000 census....
, 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...
. A light housed in a small granite lighthouse known by this name was originally built by the federal government in 1824, and was located on Windmill Point in the harbor. Erosion led to the lighthouse being torn down and relocated to its current site in 1840. A second stone building was constructed and the 35 feet (10.7 m) tower was attached to the structure.
In the 1880s, the Stonington Breakwater Light was constructed farther out in the harbor, and the Stonington Harbor Light was decommissioned in 1889.
The site is now the home of the Stonington Historical Society, which uses the building as The Old Lighthouse Museum. Holdings in the museum document the area's long and distinguished cultural and nautical history, and exhibits include a sixth-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...
.
See also
- National Register of Historic Places listings in New London County, Connecticut
External links
- lighthouse.cc: Stonington Harbor Light Light
- lighthousefriends.com: Inventory of Historic Light Stations
- Old Lighthouse Museum - Stonington Historical Society