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Faulkners Island Lighthouse, Connecticut

Lying 3 miles from Guilford Harbor, Connecticut in Long Island Sound is a crescent shaped three acre island named Faulkner’s Island. The island is surrounded by reefs and submarine rocks which caused many ships to come to grief during the 1700’s. This led to the erection of the 23rd lighthouse station of the United States on the island in 1802. The lighthouse remains an active sentinel of the Sound and has been ‘on duty’ now for more than 200 years.
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For two years the tower remained unlit until 1978 when it was repaired and an automatic modern optic was placed in the lantern.  In 1988 the tower was converted to solar power.
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For two years the tower remained unlit until 1978 when it was repaired and an automatic modern optic was placed in the lantern. In 1988 the tower was converted to solar power.

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  • Thomas Jefferson and James Madison had travelled to Guilford, Connecticut in 1791 by sloop and had noted Faulkner’s Island and its outlying reefs.  When Jefferson gained the Presidency in 1800, he sent a representative of the Treasury Department to inquire about the purchase of the island for the government.<br />
Medad Stone, one of the leaders of Guilford, had purchased Faulkner’s Island for $158 in May 1800.  Stone ran a local tavern and stage stop and served as Postmaster for the town.  Possibly acting on ‘inside information’ he had learned of the government’s plan for Faulkner’s Island and saw an opportunity to turn a profit.  He offered to sell the island for $500 to the government.
  • After negotiations Stone settled for a purchase price of $325 for the island in May 1801, still making a decent profit for his investment.  The Superintendent of Lighthouses for Connecticut advertised for proposals for building a lighthouse, keepers dwelling and oil vault.  Three bids were received, but all were rejected as too costly and the project was advertised once again.<br />
Abisha Woodward had recently finished remodeling Connecticut’s first lighthouse in New London and had stone and other materials left over from that project.  In September 1801 he was awarded the contract to build the second Connecticut lighthouse on Faulkner’s Island based on his bid of $5,500.  Woodward completed the lighthouse in July 1802.
  • The octagonal 40 foot brownstone tower lined with brick contained a wooden stairway leading to the lantern.  The light was provided by 12 spider lamps set on two round tables, 8 on the lower table and 4 on the upper table.  Joseph Griffing was appointed the first Keeper of the Faulkner’s Island Light by Jefferson for an annual salary of $200.<br />
The 1½ story dwelling built for the Keepers family was only 15 by 30 feet with a cellar.  Two bedrooms were in the upper floor with a parlor and a kitchen downstairs.  Up to 1,500 gallons of whale oil was stored in an in-ground oil vault.
  • In the winter of 1805 Keeper Griffing spotted a shipwreck from the tower about a mile away on nearby Goose Island.  Upon rowing out to the wreck he found the bodies of seven sailors on deck frozen.  Griffing spent the day moving the bodies to the center of Goose Island and burying them in a mass grave.  Griffing resigned his position as Keeper in 1812.
  • In October 1812, a nephew of Medad Stone named Solomon Stone was appointed to succeed Griffing as Keeper of Faulkner’s Island Light.  During Stone’s tenure the spider lamps were removed and replaced with new Argand oil lamps and reflectors in the lantern.  Throughout the War of 1812 several British warships were stationed near Faulkner’s Island.  One day a British officer landed on Faulkner’s and began walking towards the Keepers house.  Stone hid his children in the barn and in the chimney of the house, not knowing the British intent.<br />
Upon reaching the home and engaging the Stone’s, the officer explained they had nothing to fear so long as they kept a good light in the tower.  The lighthouse was important to the British ships and they wanted to ensure the continuation of the keeper’s duties.  Afterwards the Stone’s became quite friendly with the ‘hostile’ British forces hosting them on several occasions.
  • In November 1818 President James Monroe appointed Eli Kimberly as the 3rd Keeper of the Faulkner’s Island Light.  Kimberly would serve on Faulkner’s for 33 years raising 12 children during this time.  During Kimberly’s tenure the dwelling was renovated and expanded to accommodate his large family.  An extension with a kitchen, sink room, pantry and bedroom was added on the first floor and the roof was raised to create additional bedrooms.  The Kimberly’s gained a reputation for being gracious hosts to visitors and anglers and the number of people taking a trip out to the island grew.  In the summers up to 100 people would land on Faulkner’s Island daily to picnic and see the tower.
  • **Tower Stairs**<br />
To help accommodate the number of visitors Kimberly used a room in the house to entertain guests and he also built a bowling alley with a bar.  On July 4, 1829 a boating party of 20 men from New Haven landed and had a wee too much to drink at Captain Kimberly’s bar.  A ruckus ensued with the drunken lads tearing up the vegetable garden, stealing food from the kitchen and locking women up in a closet.  They also broke lamps in the lighthouse and destroyed Kimberly’s boat before sailing off.  A trial was held in April 1830, but no one was convicted as the defendants contradicted the Kimberly’s testimony and there was no hard evidence.  Afterwards the government prohibited the sale and distribution of liquor at any U.S. light station.
  • **Ladder to lantern**<br />
In 1840 a new cast iron lantern was installed atop the tower and 9 Argand lamps with reflectors were used to provide the light source.<br />
In 1849, after 31 years of service at Faulkner’s, Kimberly requested his first salary increase from the government.  After his request was denied he planned for retirement from the Service buying a ¼ acre lot in Guilford and building a home.  Kimberly left Faulkner’s Island Light Station on November 18, 1851 and lived in Guilford tending a drawbridge on the West River until his death in 1871.
  • In November 1851 Oliver N. Brooks was appointed the 4th Keeper of the Faulkner’s Island Lighthouse.  Brooks was a son of the sea who became a captain at age 21 and sailed up & down the east coast.  When Brooks heard of Kimberly’s retirement he applied for the position of Keeper so he could settle down with his wife Mary to raise their family.
  • In 1854 the lanterns Argand lamps were replaced with a 4th Order Fresnel lens.  The lens showed a fixed white light varied by a flash every 1½ minutes.  In 1858 a new 1½ story T-shaped Keepers dwelling was built closer to the tower.
  • **Outside stairs to lantern-an interesting feature**<br />
Keeper Brooks gained notoriety for assistance to vessels in distress.  In 1858 he was awarded a gold medal for saving 5 people on the Moses F. Webb which had run onto the rocks during a November storm.  Brooks was also famous for his musical family which played the flute, cello, violin and piano accompanied by the singing of their Newfoundland dog Old Tige.  Brooks became friendly with the scientific advisor to the Light House Board Professor Joseph Henry and several fog signal experiments were conducted on Faulkner’s Island.
  • In 1871 Congress appropriated monies to renovate the Keepers house and tower.  The Brooks family lived in the stable while the work was being done.  The dwelling was raised and received a new roof while the tower was raised 10 feet and had an iron staircase installed.  The in-ground oil vault was leveled.
  • In May 1872 a 1,305 pound fog bell with Stevens striking machinery was added to the station.  Once when the fog bell machinery broke Brooks sailed to New York for replacement parts while his wife and daughter rang the bell by hand for 48 hours.
  • In 1879 a 30 x 100 foot A-frame fog signal building was built with duplicate machinery.  The signal was produced by a steam-driven whistle.  In 1922 a new masonry building, which still stands, was constructed to house a new fog signal using cast iron typhoon horns.
  • The last Keeper from the Lighthouse Service to serve at Faulkner's Island was George Zuius who served from 1935 to 1941.  During the Great Hurricane of 1938 the stations boathouse was destroyed but Zuius managed to keep the lamp lit through the storm.
  • In 1976 two Coast Guardsmen were busy removing old paint from the dwelling using blow-torches.  A few hours later a fire broke out inside the walls of the house and soon it was engulfed in flames.  Locals on shore saw the fire and notified firefighters who gathered equipment and were ferried out to the island, but it was too late.  The dwelling was lost, but the tower, although scorched remained.
  • For two years the tower remained unlit until 1978 when it was repaired and an automatic modern optic was placed in the lantern.  In 1988 the tower was converted to solar power.
  • As erosion ate away at Faulkner's Island in the 1990's, local residents formed a preservation group named the Faulkner's Light Brigade to save the lighthouse.  They worked tirelessly to raise funds and in 1999 work began to stem the erosion and renovate the tower.
  • The station is now part of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and is off limits to visitors most of the year.  It is home to one of the largest colony's of roseate terns in the U.S.
  • An open house is held one weekend each year during which members of Faulkner's Light Brigade ferry visitors out to the island to explore the lighthouse and the station.  See their webpage at faulknerslight.org for more information.
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