Windmill Point Light (Vermont)
Encyclopedia
- For the light in Detroit see Windmill Point Light (Michigan).
- For the light in the Chesapeake BayChesapeake BayThe Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
see Windmill Point Light (Virginia)Windmill Point Light (Virginia)The Windmill Point Light was a lighthouse located at the mouth of the Rappahannock River.-History:This light was erected in 1869 to replace the last of three lightships stationed at this location to mark the end of the Rappahannock Spit, a shoal extending east from Windmill Point itself...
.
The Windmill Point Light 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 northernmost 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 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...
. Extinguished for seventy years, it was reactivated in 2002 to replace the skeleton tower erected next to it.
History
The first lighthouse on this site was privately erected in 1830. In 1858, the Lighthouse Service contracted with the Ellis and O'Neil firm to erect the present octagonal tower, which is connected directly to the keeper's house. Together with the Isle La Motte LightIsle La Motte Light
The Isle La Motte Light in Vermont is an iron lighthouse at the northern end of Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain. It is one of several lights on the lake which were reactivated in their original structures early in the 21st century.-History:...
, it forms a rough line marking the channel through the center of the lake. It remained in service until 1931, when a steel tower was erected on the property with an automated acetylene light on top. The keeper's house was transferred to the customs service
United States Customs Service
Until March 2003, the United States Customs Service was an agency of the U.S. federal government that collected import tariffs and performed other selected border security duties.Before it was rolled into form part of the U.S...
for use in battling smuggling during Prohibition
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
. The tower and house were eventually sold to a private individual.
In 1963 the light was purchased by Lockwood Clark, who had come across the then-owner while showing his bride-to-be around the point. In 2001, he was approached by the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
about returning the light to the original tower. This would have not only the sentimental value of bringing the old light back to life, but would save the Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
a considerable sum, as the steel towers were in need of expensive refurbishment if not replacement. In August 2002 a new solar powered beacon was installed in the old tower, the first of a series of such restorations on the lake. The light is still in service and remains an active aid to navigation.