Five Mile Point Lighthouse

Year Built

1847

Cost

$10,000

Type

Octagonal tower with balcony and lantern

Height

80 feet

Location

New Haven County

Automated Year

N/A

First Lit

1847

Lens Type

12 lamps, 21 inch reflectors (1845) - Fourth order Fresnel lens (1855)

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

1877

Color

White (tower), black (lantern)

Last Keeper - Date

Elizur Thompson (1869 – 1877)

Description

The park grounds are open year-round but the tower is usually closed.

Brief History

•  The 12 lamps and reflectors were replaced in 1855 by a fourth-order Fresnel lens, and a fog bell was added in the 1860s.
•  July 15, 1870, the needed repairs and renovations were carried out, and a Steven’s striking apparatus took the place of the caloric engine in ringing the fog bell.
•  The possibility of a lighthouse at Southwest Ledge was reexamined in 1872.
•  The War Department took ownership of Five Mile Point in 1896 and later leased the property to Albert Widmann, who for a small fee allowed visitors to climb the tower.
•   The tower was renovated in 1986, complete with a new paint job and cleaned staircase. Five Mile Point Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.