Fort Niagara Light

Fort Niagara Light is an inactive lighthouse on the Niagara River on the south shore of Lake Ontario in New York state. It is located on the grounds of Fort Niagara.

Fort Niagara Light
Old Fort Niagara Lighthouse
LocationOld Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario
Coordinates43°15′42″N 79°3′48″W
Year first constructed1872
Year first lit1872
Deactivated1993
FoundationNatural/emplaced
ConstructionLimestone, brick lining
Tower shapeFrustum of an octagon
Markings / patternNatural with black lantern
Tower height61 feet (19 m)
Focal height91 feet (28 m)
Original lensFourth-order fresnel lens
Range10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi)
Characteristic(Oc W 4s)
ARLHS numberUSA-294 [1]
USCG number7-2485 [2]

History

The lighthouse was established in 1782 atop the "French Castle", a structure still located within Old Fort Niagara. The current tower was first lit in 1872, having been removed from the French Castle to allow for more room for officer's quarters. The light was deactivated in 1996, having been replaced by a light beacon at the US Coast Guard Station Niagara.

The foundation was natural/emplaced and the lighthouse was constructed out of limestone with a brick lining. The tower is octagonal in shape with a black lantern. The original lens was a fourth order Fresnel lens installed in 1859

National Register Status: LISTED; Reference #84002809 Name of Listing: FORT NIAGARA LIGHT (U.S. COAST GUARD/GREAT LAKES TR)

Part of Old Fort Niagara National Historic Landmark; First two towers constructed on the fort; Third (current) tower constructed south of fort; Tower replaced by modern beacon in order to save trees obstructing lantern in 1993.

Cultural

The Archives Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a collection (#1055) of souvenir postcards of lighthouses and has digitized 272 of these and made them available online. These include postcards of Fort Niagara Light [3] with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

See also

References
  1. "Fort Niagara (Lake Ontario) Light - ARLHS USA-294". Retrieved 31 July 2016.
  2. Light List, Volume VII, Great Lakes (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
  3. Smithsonian lighthouse postcards Archived 2010-03-11 at the Wayback Machine

Further reading
  • Oleszewski, Wes. Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
  • Scott T. Price. "U. S. Coast Guard Aids to Navigation: A Historical Bibliography". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
  • U.S. Coast Guard. Historically Famous Lighthouses (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957).
  • Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia. Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3
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