Sands Point Lighthouse

Year Built

1809

Cost

$6,000

Type

Octagonal

Height

65 feet

Location

Sands Point, Long Island

Automated Year

N/A

First Lit

1809

Lens Type

11 lamps, 9-inch reflectors (original), fourth order, fresnel (current)

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

Unpainted Masonry W/Faux Lantern

Last Keeper - Date

Thomas J. Murray (1916 – 1922)

Description

The lighthouse is not open to the public and privately owned.

Brief History

•  1814, September 10: Keeper Noah Mason watched a (War of 1812) naval battle between the British frigate Acosta and thirty American gunboats from the tower.
•  In 1867, Congress allocated $9,400 to renovate the tower and replace the keeper’s house, which was deemed beyond repair by that time.
•  Sands Point Light was changed from a flashing light back to a fixed white on May 31, 1892, and then, no longer considered necessary, the light was deactivated on October 31, 1894.
•  In 1917, a large plot of land next to the lighthouse was purchased by a wealthy New York socialite, who built a large and expensive mansion there.
•  On December 15, 1922, the light at Sands Point was moved to an automated steel skeleton tower located roughly 800 feet offshore on a reef protruding from Sands Point.