Lighthouse Explorer Database ... Black Rock ...

01/16/05 10:25 AM

1-800-758-1444

Name: Black Rock Harbor Light

Also known as: Fayerweather Island Light

Nearest Town or City:
Bridgeport, Connecticut, United States

Location: Fayerweather Island, entrance to Black Rock Harbor, Long Island Sound.

Click to enlarge: 45Kb   
Photo: Jeremy D'Entremont

Managing Organization:
Fayerweather Island Restoration Fund

Telephone: 203-334-0293

Contact Address Information:
c/o Burroughs Community Center
2470 Fairfield Ave.
Bridgeport
Connecticut, 06605, United States

Notes:
The lighthouse was renovated in 1998. New doors and windows were installed and the tower was painted with graffiti-resistant paint. In April of 2000 the light was illumintated by solar power (it does not serve as an aid to navigation).

Tower Height: 47

Description of Tower: White stone octagonal tower with wood lining.

This light is not operational

Other Buildings?
Keeper's house was detroyed by fire in 1977.

Earlier Towers?
1808: 40 foot octagonal tower, destroyed in 1821 hurricane.

Date Established: 1808

Date Present Tower Built: 1823

Date Deactivated: 1933

Optics: c. 1838: 8 lamps with 14

Current Use: Part of nature preserve.

Open To Public? Grounds only.

Directions:
The island is reached via a mildly strenuous walk across the breakwater that connects it to to the end of Barnum Boulevard in Seaside Park in Bridgeport. (Note: The island is often swarming with mosquitoes in summer.) To reach the park from the east, take I-95 South to Exit 27. Take the Univ. of Bridgeport/Trans. Center ramp and stay straight on South Avenue for 0.2 miles. Turn left onto Park Avenue and follow through the gate to Seaside Park. From the west, take I-95 North to Exit 27. Turn right onto Myrtle Avenue. Turn right onto Railroad Avenue for 0.1 miles, then turn left onto Park Avenue and follow 0.4 miles through the gate to Seaside Park. There is a charge to enter the park, but if you explain that you plan a short stay to see the lighthouse, you might be allowed in without paying. Follow Barnum Boulevard to a parking area near a fishing pier and the breakwater leading onto Fayerweather Island. It's about a 20-minute walk to the lighthouse.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places

Keepers: John Maltbie (1808-1809, died in service); Charles Isaac Judson (1809-1814?, died in service); Daniel Willson (Wilson) (1814-1817?); Stephen Moore (1817-1871); Catherine (Kate) Moore (1871-1878); Leonard Clark (1878-1906); Mary Elizabeth Clark (1906); John D. Davis (1906-1932); Charles H. Gilmore (caretaker?, 1933?-1952)