Stamford Harbor Ledge Light

Stamford Harbor Ledge Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, on Chatham Rock off of Stamford, Connecticut. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.[3]

Stamford Harbor Ledge Light
Chatham Rocks
Postcard dated 1912
Map
LocationStamford
Connecticut
United States
Coordinates41°00′49.2″N 73°32′33.32″W / 41.013667°N 73.5425889°W / 41.013667; -73.5425889
Tower
Constructed1882
Foundationcast iron and concrete caisson
Constructionsparkplug lighthouse
Automated1953
Height60 ft (18 m)
Shapecylindrical tower with double balcony and lantern incorporating keeper's quarter
Power sourcesolar power Edit this on Wikidata
Operatorprivate[1][2]
HeritageNational Register of Historic Places listed place Edit this on Wikidata
Light
Deactivated1953-1985
Focal height80 ft (24 m)
LensFourth order Fresnel lens (original), 7.9 inches (200 mm) (current)
CharacteristicFl W 4s.
Stamford Harbor Lighthouse
Area0.5 acres (0.20 ha)
Built1882 (1882)
ArchitectUnited States Lighthouse Board
Architectural styleConical tower on caisson
NRHP reference No.91000348[3]
Added to NRHPApril 3, 1991

The interior of the structure has seven levels.[4] The upper balcony boasts sweeping views of the Stamford and Manhattan skylines, as well as Long Island Sound and Stamford Harbor. The lighthouse is accessed by a floating dock.

History

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Winter scene, from a postcard mailed in 1906

The Stamford Harbor Ledge lighthouse was built in 1882 and was a sparkplug lighthouse cast iron tower, manufactured in Boston.[4] The light, 3,600 feet (1,100 m) from shore, was sold to a private party in 1955.

Several lighthouse keepers and their families lived in the lighthouse at various times.[4]

In 2008, the property was put up for sale, with an asking price of $1.75 million as of September 25, 2008. By June 2009, the asking price had fallen to $1.595 million,[5] according to the real estate agent's website.[4] According to an advertisement for the real estate offering, the property includes the lighthouse, Chatham Rock and, in words that were in quotes in the advertisement, "surrounding underwater land embraced within a circle, seven hundred fifty (750) feet in diameter, the center of which is Chatham Rock".[5]

Head keepers

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  • Neil Martin (1882)
  • Nahor Jones (1882 – 1886)
  • Samuel C. Gardiner (1886)
  • John Ryle (1886 – 1887)
  • Samuel A. Keeney (1887 – 1903)
  • Maurice Russell (1903 – 1904)
  • Adolph Obman (1904 – 1907)
  • John J. Cook (1907 – 1909)
  • William Janse (1909)
  • Adolph Obman (1909 – 1911)
  • Robert R. Laurier (1911 – 1912)
  • John H. Paul (1912)
  • Joseph Meyer (at least 1913)
  • Charles R. Riley (at least 1915 – at least 1916)
  • Edward Grime (1917 – 1919)
  • George Washington Denton, Jr. (1919)
  • Edward Murphy (1919 – 1920)
  • Edward Iten (at least 1921 – at least 1927)
  • Edward M. Whitford (at least 1929)
  • Robert M. Fitton (at least 1930)
  • Raymond F. Bliven (1930 – 1931)
  • Martin Luther Sowle (1938 – 1953)[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Connecticut". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-06-23.
  2. ^ Connecticut Historic Light Station Information & Photography United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 23 June 2016
  3. ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
  4. ^ a b c d Web page titled "Chatham Rock", to which a September 25, 2009 William Pitt real estate advertisement directed readers, retrieved June 23, 2009
  5. ^ a b Advertisement by William Pitt/Sotheby's International Realty, page 1D, The Darien Times, September 25, 2008
  6. ^ Stamford Harbor, CT Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 23 June 2016