Mystic Seaport Light is a lighthouse at the south end of

Mystic Seaport Mystic Seaport Museum or Mystic Seaport: The Museum of America and the Sea in Mystic, Connecticut is the largest maritime museum in the United States. It is notable for its collection of sailing ships and boats and for the re-creation of the cra ...

, upriver from

Noank Noank ( ) is a village in the town of Groton, Connecticut. This dense community of historic homes and local businesses sits on a small, steep peninsula at the mouth of the Mystic River (Connecticut), Mystic River with a long tradition of fishing, ...

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 capita ...

. The light is a two-story white shingled structured topped with a glass-enclosed lantern and is a replica of the 1901 Brant Point Light. The Mystic Seaport Light was designed by William F. Herman Jr. and constructed in 1966. It was formally dedicated on August 31, 1967, but remained unlit due to active navigational regulations imposed by the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mu ...

. The Mystic Seaport light is now an active light, but not an official aid to navigation. The structure was used as an example of a lighthouse for Mystic Seaport visitors, but was not part of an exhibit until a 2008 renovation. The interior of the lighthouse was equipped with five

LCD television Liquid-crystal-display televisions (LCD TVs) are television sets that use liquid-crystal displays to produce images. They are, by far, the most widely produced and sold television display type. LCD TVs are thin and light, but have some disadvantag ...

s to display two short educational films that highlight the history and architectural diversity of American lighthouses.

Design and construction

The Mystic Seaport Light was designed by William F. Herman Jr. and constructed by Engineered Building in 1966. Funds for the project were donated by Mr. and Mrs. John P. Blair. Mr. Blair was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Marine Historical Association since 1963. The Marine Historical Association was the original name for the

. Prior to the construction of the light, a total of $5,000 was donated by

Coast Guard Auxiliary The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGA, USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the civilian uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the unit on 23 June 1939, as the United States Coast Guard Reserve ...

members from Maine and Delaware to build the keeper's cottage. The original artist's conception called for a generic lighthouse that was designed to be representative of all lighthouses, but the actual design of the lighthouse was later changed to a replica of the 1901 Brant Point Light located on

Nantucket Island Nantucket () is an island about south from Cape Cod. Together with the small islands of Tuckernuck and Muskeget, it constitutes the Town and County of Nantucket, a combined county/town government that is part of the U.S. state of Massachuse ...

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. Constructed on the tip of Shipyard Point, it is a two-story white shingled structure topped with a glass-enclosed lantern. The light measures by by . The lighthouse houses a fourth order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

. The design of the keeper's house did not change much from the original artist's conception, though Tim Harrison notes that "it does not resemble a typical lighthouse keeper's house." The dedication of the lighthouse was held on August 31, 1967, which was described as "another quiet but proud ceremony" by Mystic Seaport. Care and maintenance of the lighthouse is performed by the Mystic Seaport.

Operational requirements

The Mystic Seaport Light is subject to

regulations to become operational, and because it is a full-sized replica of a lighthouse, requirements include supervisory schedules and installation of an emergency, backup light. This was not a financial priority for Mystic Seaport in 1967 and it was not made a fully functional lighthouse. In 1979, Brierley noted that the present use of the lighthouse remained as " example of a lighthouse used as a navigational aid." Regardless of its intended function, the lighthouse was used as the starting mark for the Mystic River Day seine boat race in 1981. By 2014, it is active, using a fourth order Fresnel lens on loan from the Coast Guard, but is not an official aid to navigation.

Design renovation

In late 2007, the Mystic Seaport asked Oudens Ello Architecture of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to develop a design proposal for the light. Oudens Ello Architecture developed a "multilayered system of open wood slats and sound absorptive material creating an interior environment evocative of a Nantucket basket." The task called for an "audio-visual display in a single, conical room of little more than 100 square feet." The renovated exhibit was also made wheelchair accessible via a ramp.

Sentinels of the Sea

In July 2008, the Mystic Seaport Light became part of the visitor experience when the interior was opened as part of the "Sentinels of the Sea" exhibit. The exhibit displays two short educational films, ''The Heyday of Lighthouses'' and ''How to Look at a Lighthouse'', on five LCD screens. The two films highlight the history and architectural diversity of American lighthouses.

References

External links