Latimer Reef Lighthouse

Year Built

1804

Cost

$25,000

Type

Conical

Height

49 feet

Location

In Fisher's Island Sound, one mi NW of East Point on Fishers Island

Automated Year

1974

First Lit

1884

Lens Type

Original optic: Fifth-order Fresnel (1884) Fourth-order Fresnel (1899) Present optic: 300 mm

Fog Signal

Bell: 2 strokes ev 15s

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White tower/Brown band midway/Brown base

Last Keeper - Date

George E. Durfee (1934 – 1952)

Description

The lighthouse is not open to the public.

Brief History

•  In 1884, a permanent lighthouse commenced operation on nearby Latimer Reef, and Eel Grass Shoal Lightship was discontinued.
•  A stone pier was built on the northwest side of the lighthouse in 1890 and fitted with an appliance for hoisting the station’s boat.
•  On March 1, 1914 a huge storm swept in from the east, while inside Latimer Reef Lighthouse, Keeper William H. Smith noted in his log, “The sea was so high that it broke over the Platform and Pier.”
•  The station was automated in 1954, and the three coastguardsmen connected with the lighthouse were reassigned to Fort Trumbull.
•  In July 2008, Latimer Reef Lighthouse, deemed excess by the Coast Guard, was “made available at no cost to eligible entities.