Southwest Ledge Lighthouse

Year Built

1877

Cost

$117,800

Type

Octagonal tower with balcony and lantern incorporating 2-storey keeper's quarters

Height

45 feet

Location

New Haven

Automated Year

1953

First Lit

1877

Lens Type

Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), VRB-25 (current)

Fog Signal

Horn: one blast every 15 seconds (2-second blast)

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White tower, black lantern, brown basement

Last Keeper - Date

Michael Scanlan (1942 – 1943)

Description

The tower is not open to the public but it may be viewed by boat or from the Lighthouse Point Park in New Haven, Connecticut.

Brief History

•  A Daboll fog signal was installed in 1888. In 1889 a red sector was added to the lantern to warn mariners approaching Branford Reef and Gangway Rock.
•  The foundation of the lighthouse was reinforced in 1911, and boat cranes (of which only foundations remain today) were added in the 1930s to facilitate access.
•  The four Coast Guard keepers were removed and Southwest Ledge Light became an automatic beacon on August 15, 1953.
•  In early 2001, some maintenance work was conducted on the lighthouse by the Coast Guard cutter Penobscot Bay out of Bayonne, New Jersey.
•  Under the guidelines of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, the lighthouse was sold for $180,002 in an online auction that ended on September 2, 2016.