Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse

Year Built

1886

Cost

$20,000

Type

Conical

Height

48 feet

Location

Old Saybrook

Automated Year

1959

First Lit

1886

Lens Type

Fifth order Fresnel lens (original), 300 mm lens (current)

Fog Signal

Bell, 1 stroke every 20 seconds

Year Deactivated

Avtive

Color

White tower on brown pier

Last Keeper - Date

George E. Sheffield (1948 – 1953)

Description

Saybrook Breakwater Light is not open to public due to its off-shore location.

Brief History

•  The lighthouse was originally equipped with a 1,000 pound fog bell in 1889. However, the residents objected to the noise that it was replaced with a 250 pound bell.
•  On September 21, 1938 the Saybrook Breakwater Light witnessed the most devastating hurricane ever recorded in New England.
•  Saybrook Breakwater Light was automated in 1959, and the Coast Guard began occupying the station only in bad weather, letting personnel at nearby Lynde Point Lighthouse guard the river mouth the rest of the time.
•  In 1993, Connecticut issued a special Preserve the Sound license plate featuring a portrait of Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse.
•  In April 2007, it was announced that the lighthouse would be available to a suitable new owner under the guidelines of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.