Fire Island Lighthouse

Location: Fire Island National Seashore.

Description:

• Original tower: octagonal pyramidal tower stood 74 feet tall; used 18 lamps with 15 inch reflectors;  flashed once every 90 seconds.

• Current tower: 168 feet; conical tower of brick encased in cement, white with two black stripes; original optic: first order Fresnel flashing once per minute; current optic: DCB-224 (1986); foundation of granite and timber.

History of light:

• 1827: Original station established.

• 1849: The U.S. Life Saving Service builds a station near the lighthouse.

• 1857: Congress appropriates $40,000 for the new light.

• 1857-1858: Present tower constructed.

• 1858, July 3: A Notice to Mariners is issued by the Third Light-House District advising seamen of the new light, due to be lit November 1st. This notice gives the position of the new tower as Latitude, 40° 37' 53" North. Longitude, 73° 12' 51" West. Its distance from the Montauk light is given as 67 1/2 nautical miles, and its distance from the "Great West Bay Light-House" (Shinnecock light) as 35 nautical miles.

• 1858, November 1: Light illuminated.

• 1859: Keeper's quarters constructed.

• 1868: Western Union station established on site, news of incoming  ships was telegraphed to New York City.

• 1891, 6 August: A Notice to Mariners ("No. 82, of 1891") is issued by the Office of the Light-House Board in Washington, D.C. for the "Change in the Color of the Tower at Fire Island Light-Station." The notice states that the color "will be changed from yellow to alternate bands of black and white, two of each color. Each band will be about 35 feet wide."

• 1920 or 1929: Western Union station ceased operation.

• 1938: Western Union station destroyed in hurricane.

• 1939: The light is electrified and the First Order lens is removed.

• 1974: Deactivated.

• 1981: The lighthouse is deemed unrepairable and demolition is considered.

• 1982: The Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society is formed.

• 1983: National Park Service acquires site management responsibilities from the Coast Guard.

• 1985-1986: The keeper's dwelling is transformed into a museum, 2 miles of boardwalks are added, and a Park Ranger station is established.

• 1986: A new automated light is placed in the lantern room and the light is relit on May 25th.

• 1989: Site is opened to the public for tours.

• 1996: The Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society signs a ten year lease for the site.

Current use: Active aid to navigation.

The surrounding area: Fire Island National Seashore and Robert Moses State Park. The Atlantic Ocean and the Great South Bay are right there. The Captree Boat Basin and Jones Beach are nearby. The traffic in summer can be tough, but the light is worth the trouble.

Public access? Yes. Grounds open daily. Call for tower and center hours. Tours available. Park in Robert Moses Parking Field 5 and follow the boardwalk approximately .72 miles to the light. The staff at the lighthouse are friendly, knowledgeable and helpful.

Similar Lights: The old Shinnecock Bay tower was similar, but was a little shorter and lacked Fire Island's parabolic curve.

Other information: When the original tower was built, it was on the western tip of the inlet. Time has since added about 5 miles of beach to that tip. Original light cost about $10,000 to build. Congress appropriated $40,000 for the construction of the new tower. While the light was deactivated, a light was displayed on the nearby water tower. With the approximately $1.2 million raised by the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society, the light was repaired, the keeper's quarters turned into a museum,  and the light relit May 25, 1986.

Fire Island lighthouse on March 13, 1999