Bluff Point Lighthouse

Year Built

1874

Cost

$15,000

Type

Octagonal on Square House

Height

35 feet

Location

Valcour Island

Automated Year

1930

First Lit

1874

Lens Type

Fifth Order Fresnel lens (original), 12 inches (current)

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

1930-2004

Color

Red/White Tower on Square House

Last Keeper - Date

Thomas Pickup (at least 1925 – 1929)

Description

The lighthouse and grounds are open to the public.

Brief History

•  Bluff Point Lighthouse was placed in service by William C. Wait in the spring of 1874 after Lake Champlain returned to liquid form and navigation resumed.
•  Following the Civil War, vacancies in keeper positions at Lake Champlain lighthouses were often given to disabled veterans.
•  Shortly after keeper William Herwerth's passing, his widow Mary J. Herwerth faithfully kept the light until 1902.
•  In 1930, a steel, skeletal tower with an automatic light was erected to replace the manned lighthouse.
•  Dr. Adolph Raboff, a dentist from Massachusetts, purchased the property in 1954 and maintained the lighthouse as a summer residence.