Falkner Island Light
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View of Falkner Island and Light
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 Connecticut
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| Year first constructed | 1802 |
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| Automated | 1978 |
| Foundation | fieldstone basement |
| Construction | brownstone with brick lining tower |
| Tower shape | octagonal frustum tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings / pattern | White tower, red lantern |
| Height | 46 ft (14 m) |
| Focal height | 94 feet (29 m) |
| Original lens | 9 lamps, 16" reflectors (1840) |
| Current lens | VLB-44 |
| Light source | solar power |
| Range | 13 nautical miles (24 km; 15 mi) |
| Characteristic | Fl W 10s. |
| Admiralty number | J0762 |
| ARLHS number | USA-282 |
| USCG number | 1-21170 |
| Managing agent |
Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and Faulkner's Light Brigade |
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Falkner Island Light
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| Location | Long Island Sound, 5 miles south of Guilford, Connecticut |
| Coordinates | 41°12′43″N 72°39′12″W / 41.21194°N 72.65333°WCoordinates: 41°12′43″N 72°39′12″W / 41.21194°N 72.65333°W |
| Area | 4.9 acres |
| Built | 1802 |
| Architect | Abisha Woodward |
| NRHP Reference # | 89001467 |
| Added to NRHP | May 24, 1990 |
Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and Faulkner's Light Brigade
Falkner Island Light, also known as the Faulkner Island Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, on Falkner Island which is off Guilford Harbor on Long Island Sound. The lighthouse was constructed in 1802 and commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. The lighthouse has had three keeper's houses: the original house of 1802 was rebuilt in 1851 and then again in 1871. The 1871 keeper's house survived to 1976, when it was destroyed by fire; the Coast Guard repaired and automated the lighthouse two years later. A volunteer group, the Faulkner's Light Brigade, has undertaken the restoration and preservation of the lighthouse since 1991, completing the last major restoration work in March 2011. Access to Falkner Island and the light is restricted during the nesting season of the roseate terns from May to August yearly. The Falkner Island Lighthouse, as the second oldest extant lighthouse in Connecticut, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Falker Island is a crescent-shaped island located three and a half miles offshore of Guilford, Connecticut. The island has had several owners including Andrew Leete in the 1600s. In 1715, Caleb and Ebenezer Stone purchased the island, which remained in the Stone family until 1801. In 1800, Noah Stone sold it to a distant relative, Medad Stone, for $158.34. On May 12, 1801, Medad Stone sold the island to the government for $325. Joel Henderson, a historian, notes that Medad Stone and the government were likely openly communicating about the island. The United States Congress had appropriated $6000 in March 1801 for the lighthouse, prior to the government's acquisition of the property.
The Falkner Island Lighthouse was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson in 1802. It was constructed and completed by Abisha Woodward in 1802. Woodward also built New London Harbor Light in 1801 and the Black Rock Harbor Light in 1808. Falkner Island Lighthouse cost $5977.62 to build, according to the United States government. The 46 ft (14 m) octagonal tower was made of brownstone lined with brick, and it originally had a spiral wooden staircase that led outside to the lantern room. This staircase was an unusual and distinguishing characteristic of the Falkner Island Light. The original fixed light used twelve lamps and reflectors on two stacked tables. It was replaced in 1840, at a cost of $2842.00, with a lantern that used nine lamps and sixteen-inch reflectors. A 33 ft (10 m) cast iron spiral staircase was installed in a major renovation in 1871.
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Wikipedia