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      • Robinson Point Lighthouse on Isle Au Haut, Maine
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      • Harbor of Refuge Light, Delaware
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      • Newburyport Harbor Range Lights, Massachusetts
      • Nobska Point Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Palmer Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Plum Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Plymouth Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Race Point Lighthouse, Cape Cod Massachusetts
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      • Scituate Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Stage Harbor Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Straitsmouth Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Tarpaulin Cove Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Ten Pound Island Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Thacher Island Twin Lights, Massachusetts
      • Three Sisters of Nauset Lighthouses, Massachusetts
      • West Chop Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Wings Neck Lighthouse, Massachusetts
      • Winter Island Lighthouse
      • Brant Point Lighthouse, Nantucket MA
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      • Isles of Shoals Light, New Hampshire
      • Portsmouth Harbor Light, New Hampshire
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      • Brandywine Shoal Light, New Jersey
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      • Chapel Hill Rear Range Light, New Jersey
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      • Fourteen Foot Bank Light, New Jersey
      • Hereford Inlet Lighthouse, North Wildwood, New Jersey
      • Miah Maull Shoal Light, New Jersey
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      • Sea Girt Lighthouse, New Jersey
      • Ship John Shoal Light, New Jersey
      • Twin Lights of Navesink, New Jersey
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      • Ambrose Lightship, New York
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      • Blackswell Island Light, New York
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      • Bodie Island Light, North Carolina
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Stonington Harbor Lighthouse, Connecticut

In the southeast corner of Connecticut the traveling pharologist can find a quintessential New England village, the Borough of Stonington. The town is dotted with old sea captains homes from the 18th & 19th centuries and its spacious harbor has a colorful history. Part of this rich history is the sturdy Stonington Harbor Lighthouse, the first lighthouse constructed by the U.S. government in Connecticut.
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A study was made by the government to determine if the lighthouse could be saved by constructing a seawall to stop the erosion.  However, it was determined that it would cost nearly the same amount it would take to build a new light tower further inland.
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A study was made by the government to determine if the lighthouse could be saved by constructing a seawall to stop the erosion. However, it was determined that it would cost nearly the same amount it would take to build a new light tower further inland.

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  • One of the most famous events in Stonington history was a battle during the War of 1812.  The townspeople repelled an attack of a superior British force of five warships and troops.
  • After the war the harbor at Stonington grew into a busy port supporting the shipbuilding and fishing industries.  As traffic increased mariners requested a navigational aid to mark the harbor.
  • On May 7, 1822 Congress responded by appropriating $3,500 to build a lighthouse.  The light would serve as a guide into Stonington Harbor and it would also help ships navigate Fishers Island Sound.
  • A tract of land was purchased in 1823 at Windmill Point on the eastern side of the harbor for the lighthouse reservation.
  • Benjamin Chase of Newport, Rhode Island was awarded the contract to build the lighthouse and keepers dwelling at Stonington.  He erected a 30 foot stone cylindrical tower and dwelling for $2,500.
  • The lantern was equipped with 10 Lewis lamps with 13 inch reflectors.  The lamps were arraigned on a table in an arc in every direction except north which was the land side of the lantern.
  • A former sea captain William Potter was named the first Keeper of the Stonington Harbor Light at an annual salary of $300.  In 1824 he lit up the lantern and produced a light visible for 12 miles.
  • Over the next decade Windmill Point was subject to erosion which ate away at the light station grounds.  An 1838 inspection report also found that the tower stairs were close to collapse.  Authorities needed to take action to save the lighthouse.
  • A study was made by the government to determine if the lighthouse could be saved by constructing a seawall to stop the erosion.  However, it was determined that it would cost nearly the same amount it would take to build a new light tower further inland.
  • In 1840 John Bishop of New London, Connecticut was hired to construct the new lighthouse.  The old light was disassembled and the stones were used to build a new stone tower with an attached 1½ story Keepers dwelling.  The new structure was completed in September 1840.
  • **A sundial in the yard of the lighthouse** The new octagonal tower was 10 feet in diameter and 32½ feet high with granite stairs to replace the old rotted wooden steps.  The new lantern was equipped with 8 oil lamps with 16 inch reflectors.  Since the light was built on a higher elevation the light was now visible for a distance of 15 miles.
  • An odd feature of the 30 foot square Keepers dwelling is the lack of windows on the east and west sides of the structure.  This along with the corbelling of the tower gave the building the look of a fortress.
  • Keeper Potter, who had served at Stonington Light since 1824, passed away in 1842.  His widow Patty was offered the position as Keeper which she accepted.  An 1848 inspection report found the lighthouse and dwelling to be in deplorable shape stating the inspector found ‘the most filthy house he had ever visited; everything appeared to be neglected’.  Things must have improved in following years as Patty continued in her position until 1854.
  • **A 4th Order Fresnel lens on display in the museum** In 1856 the oil lamps with reflectors in the lantern were replaced with a fixed Sixth Order Fresnel lens.
  • During the 1880’s a stone breakwater was built out into the harbor and a privately funded light was established on its end by the Stonington & Providence Steamship Company.  Mariners began to use the private light and the old harbor light was no longer useful.  The government decided to deactivate the harbor light and built a new 25 foot conical tower and a concrete base at the end of the breakwater in 1889 for $8,000.
  • The Keeper of the old light remained in the old Keepers dwelling and tended the Stonington Breakwater Lighthouse.  A small shack was built on the breakwater for the Keeper to use during inclement weather.  A 1901 inspection report found the old Keepers house ‘so unhealthy as to menace the lives of its occupants…’ and in 1910 a new dwelling was built next to the old harbor light.
  • In March 1925 the government put the Old Harbor Lighthouse and .725 acres of property up for auction (much like lighthouses today).  The only bid received was from the Stonington Historical Society.  The interior of the old dwelling was renovated and opened to the public as a museum displaying the history if the Stonington area.
  • The museum remains a popular destination today offering beautiful views of Long Island Sound from the lantern room.  You can visit www.stoningtonhistory.org for more information on the museum.
  • An old postcard showing the Stonington Harbor Lighthouse painted white.
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