Montauk Point Lighthouse

Year Built

1796

Cost

$22,300

Type

Octagonal pyramidal

Height

110.5 feet

Location

Montauk Point, Suffolk County

Automated Year

1987

First Lit

1797

Lens Type

8 whale oil lamps (1797), Fresnel lens (later) 1903-1987, VRB-25 1987-2023, as of 11/06/2023 the same (reconditioned) 3 1/2 order bivalve Fresnel lens that was removed in 1987. (current)

Fog Signal

Horn: 1 2s in every 15s

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

White with a broad red band midway, lantern black

Last Keeper - Date

Gene Hughes (1983 – 1987)

Description

The lighthouse is open to the public.

Brief History

•  Construction began on June 7, 1796 and was completed on November 5, 1796.
•  In 1860, the lighthouse station underwent a massive renovation when two new levels and a larger lantern were added.
•  In 1946 the United States Coast Guard took over maintenance of the lighthouse and operated it until the station was automated on February 3, 1987.
•  The Montauk Historical Society leased the property from the Coast Guard in 1987, and bought it in 1996.
•  On March 2, 2012 United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar officially designated the lighthouse as a National Historic Landmark.