Horton Point Lighthouse, Southold, New York
HORTON POINT LIGHT
EASTERN LONG ISLAND - NORTH SIDE, NEAR SOUTHOLD
Station Established: 1857
Year Current Tower(s) First Lit: 1857
Operational? YES
Automated? YES 1933
Deactivated: 1933-1990
Foundation Materials: GRANITE
Construction Materials: STUCCO/BRICK/GRANITE
Tower Shape: SQUARE ATTACHED TO RECTANGULAR HOUSE
Tower Height: 58 feet
Focal Plane: 103 feet
Markings/Pattern: WHITE W/BLACK LANTERN/COPPER DOME
Relationship to Other Structure: ATTACHED
Original Lens: THIRD ORDER, FRESNEL 1857
Characteristic: Slow green flash every 10 seconds.
Historical Chronology:
- 1790: President George Washington commissioned the lighthouse.
- 1855: Land to build to lighthouse on was purchased by the US government for $550.
- 1857: Lighthouse was constructed and lit with William Sinclair serving as the first light keeper.
- 1933: Light was turned off in the tower and a skeleton tower was lit on shore.
- 1934, January: Southold Park District purchased the lighthouse buildings and grounds from the US Department of Commerce for $1.00.
- 1938: The last keeper stayed until the hurricane of 1938.
- 1976: Restoration of the lighthouse was started.
- 1990: Major restoration allowed for the repair of the tower both internally and externally. The light was reopened and relit. The skeleton tower on the shoreline was removed.
- 2002: The lighthouse is still an active aid to navigation and hosts a museum. Visitors are able to climb the tower.
Chronology was researched and written by Diane Hackney.