Saybrook Breakwater Light

Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse is a sparkplug lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, at Fenwick Point at the mouth of the Connecticut River near Old Saybrook, Connecticut. It is featured[4] on the state's "Preserve the Sound" license plates.

Saybrook Breakwater Light
Saybrook Outer
Saybrook Breakwater Light
Connecticut
Saybrook Breakwater Light (the United States)
LocationOld Saybrook
Connecticut
United States
Coordinates41°15′47.68″N 72°20′34″W
Year first constructed1886
Automated1959
Foundationcast iron and concrete caisson
Constructionsparkplug lighthouse
Tower shape2-stages cylindrical tower with double balcony and lantern incorporating keeper's quarter
Tower height48 feet (15 m)
Focal height58 feet (18 m)
Original lensFifth order Fresnel lens
Current lens300 mm lens
Light sourcesolar power
CharacteristicFl G 6s.
Admiralty numberJ0744
ARLHS numberUSA-740
USCG number1-21115
Managing agentUnited States Coast Guard[1] [2]
Heritageplace listed on the National Register of Historic Places 
Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse
LocationS terminus of Saybrook Jetty at mouth of Connecticut River, Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Arealess than one acre
Built1886
ArchitectSmith, G.W. & F. Iron Co.
MPSOperating Lighthouses in Connecticut MPS
NRHP reference No.89001474[3]
Added to NRHPMay 29, 1990

"That outer lighthouse is the symbol of Old Saybrook," town First Selectman Michael Pace said in 2007, when the town was making plans to buy the lighthouse from the federal government.[4]

The lighthouse is also known simply as "Breakwater Light" or "Outer Light". It is one of two built off Lynde Point in the nineteenth century. The other lighthouse, known as Lynde Point Light or more commonly as "Inner Light", is 75 years older than this lighthouse. The two lighthouses mark the harbor channel at the mouth of the Connecticut River.[4]

History

The lighthouse has been in service since 1886.[4]

In 2007, the federal government announced it would sell the lighthouse as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Program, which was created to transfer responsibility for maintenance of lighthouses to municipal governments or private entities. The Old Saybrook town government expressed an interest in the lighthouse, which is not expected to be transferred from the federal government until sometime in 2008 or 2009. The National Park Service will screen potential owners. The Coast Guard would continue to maintain the light while the new owners maintain the historic structure. The Coast Guard also owns the land on which the lighthouse sits, and transferring the land is not part of the preservation program.[4] As of January 14, 2014, the Minio family are the new private owners of the Old Saybrook Point Lighthouse. Joseph C. Minio, Sr. and Dr. Christopher M. Minio are co-Lighthouse owners and keepers.

Head keepers
  • Frank W. Paumlee (1886 – 1890)
  • John G. Shipworth (1890 – 1896)
  • George W. Fife (1896 – 1897)
  • Robert A. Bishop (1897 – 1898)
  • Nathaniel Dodge (1898)
  • Thomas Burke (1898 – 1899)
  • John Dahlman (1899 – 1907)
  • Herbert S. Knowles (1907 – 1911)
  • Simon Sfvorinich (1911 – 1912)
  • Joseph F. Woods (1912 – at least 1917)
  • John A. Davis (at least 1919 – 1920)
  • Paul G. Peterson (1920 – at least 1921)
  • Elwood L. Butler (at least 1923)
  • Andrew A. McLintock (1932 – 1935)
  • Sidney Z. Gross (at least 1938 – 1940)
  • Roger H. Green (1940 – 1943)
  • Thomas A. Buckridge (1943 – 1944)
  • George E. Sheffield (1948 – 1953)

See also

References
  1. Saybrook Breakwater (Saybrook Outer) The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 22 June 2016
  2. Connecticut Historic Light Station Information & Photography United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 22 June 2016
  3. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  4. Associated Press news article, titled "Old Saybrook lighthouse for sale for $1" in The Advocate of Stamford, Connecticut, August 7, 2007, page A4


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