Managing Organization:
U.S. Coast Guard
Notes:
The Coast Guard announced plans to discontinue this lighthouse in 1970, but local protests led to its preservation. The Coast Guard did restoration work on the tower in the 1970s and '80s. It is known locally as the "Old Coffee Pot."
Tower Height: 45
Height of Focal Plane: 64
Description of Tower: Conical cast iron
This light is operational
Date Established: 1899
Date Present Tower Built: 1899
Date Automated: 1954
Optics: 1899: Fifth order Fresnel lens; now 190 mm.
Fog Signal: Now automated horn.
Current Use: Active aid to navigation.
Open To Public? no
Directions:
At the end of NY Route 25 (Main and Old Roads) turn right and drive to the entrance of an unpaved parking area and turn left. The ferry loading lanes are straight ahead. Walk out onto the stony beach or out onto the ferry terminal's loading apron. The lighthouse can be seen offshore to the east. The lighthouse can also be seen from the Cross Sound Ferry between Orient Point, New York, and New London, Connecticut. For auto reservations and general information call (860) 443-5281. The East End Seaport Museum and Marine Foundation holds occasional lighthouse cruises that include views of Orient Point Light; call (516) 477-2121 or email lighthouse@peconic.net for information. Also, Capt. John's Sport Fishing Center in Waterford, Connecticut, offers a lighthouse cruise that includes Orient Point; call (860) 443-7259 or email sunbeamfleet@snet.net for details.
Keepers: N. A. Anderson (1899-?).
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