Abisha Woodward (1752–1809), also known as Abashai Woodward, was an architect and contractor from

New London, Connecticut New London is a seaport city and a port of entry on the northeast coast of the United States, located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London County, Connecticut. It was one of the world's three busiest whaling ports for several decades ...

that is best known for building lighthouses in the United States. He oversaw the construction of many of

Connecticut Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...

's earliest lighthouses, but also worked in New York and North Carolina during his career. The oldest surviving beacon built by Woodward is the New London Harbor Lighthouse, which he completed in 1801.

Career

Woodward distinguished himself in New London as a fine architect and contractor. Prior to building lighthouses, he was co-named in a contract for building New London's new meetinghouse in 1788. Home construction in town likely kept him busy around 1790, a time during which New London was experiencing significant growth. Woodward's work on lighthouses began with a federal contract he won in 1793 to complete the

Bald Head Light Bald Head Lighthouse, known as Old Baldy, is the oldest lighthouse still standing in North Carolina. It is the second of three lighthouses that have been built on Bald Head Island since the 18th century to help guide ships past the dangerous shoal ...

Cape Fear, North Carolina Cape Fear is a prominent headland jutting into the Atlantic Ocean from Bald Head Island on the coast of North Carolina in the southeastern United States. It is largely formed of barrier beaches and the silty outwash of the Cape Fear River as i ...

, which was already partially constructed prior to his arrival. He later submitted a bid in 1796 to build the

Montauk Point Lighthouse The Montauk Point Light, or Montauk Point Lighthouse, is a lighthouse located adjacent to Montauk Point State Park, at the easternmost point of Long Island, in the hamlet of Montauk in the Town of East Hampton in Suffolk County, New York. The ...

, but lost the contract to

John McComb John McComb Jr. (1763 – 1853) was an American architect who designed many landmarks in the 18th and 19th centuries. Between 1790 and 1825, McComb was New York city's leading architect. John McComb Jr. was born on October 17, 1763 in New Yo ...

. After the turn of the century, Woodward secured contracts to oversee the construction of five lighthouses along the Connecticut coast and one in New York on the east end of

Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...

. Woodward constructed both wooden and stone lighthouses during his career. The last and longest-lived of his wooden lighthouses was replaced in 1841 after 36 years of service. Two of Woodward's stone lighthouses, the New London Harbor Lighthouse completed in 1801 and the Faulkner's Island Lighthouse completed 1802, remain standing to this day and still serve as active aids to navigation.

Personal life

Abisha Woodward was born in 1752 and married Mary Spicer on March 20, 1774. He lived in New London, Connecticut where he was a prominent architect, contractor and alderman. Several of his children were born in Preston, Connecticut, suggesting that he probably lived there for some time, as well. Woodward owned extensive property in the southern states and bought some 4,000 acres of land in the north of Ohio, known at that time as the

Firelands The Firelands, or Sufferers' Lands, tract was located at the western end of the Connecticut Western Reserve in what is now the U.S. state of Ohio. It was legislatively established in 1792, as the "Sufferers' Lands", and later became named "Fire Land ...

, to benefit the widows and orphans of Revolutionary War soldiers. He died on April 10, 1809 in New London.

List of lighthouses constructed

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Woodward, Abisha 1752 births 1809 deaths People from New London, Connecticut Lighthouse builders Architects from Connecticut 18th-century American architects 19th-century American architects