The Windmill Point Light in

Vermont Vermont () is a state in the northeast New England region of the United States. Vermont is bordered by the states of Massachusetts to the south, New Hampshire to the east, and New York to the west, and the Canadian province of Quebec to ...

is the northernmost

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid, for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Lighthouses mar ...

Lake Champlain , native_name_lang = , image = Champlainmap.svg , caption = Lake Champlain-River Richelieu watershed , image_bathymetry = , caption_bathymetry = , location = New York/Vermont in the United States; and Quebec in Canada , coords = , type = , ...

. Extinguished for seventy years, it was reactivated in 2002 to replace the skeleton tower erected next to it. It is named after the

Windmill Point Goose Village (French: "Village-aux-Oies") was a neighbourhood in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Its official but less commonly used name was Victoriatown, after the adjacent Victoria Bridge, Montreal, Victoria Bridge. The neighbourhood was built ...

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

, where it is located.

History

The first

on this site was privately erected in 1830. In 1858, the Lighthouse Service contracted with the Ellis and O'Neil firm to erect the present octagonal tower, which is connected directly to the keeper's house. Together with the

Isle La Motte Light The Isle La Motte Light in Vermont is an iron lighthouse at the northern end of Isle La Motte in Lake Champlain. It is one of several lights on the lake which were reactivated in their original structures early in the 21st century. History This l ...

, it forms a rough line marking the channel through the center of the lake. It remained in service until 1931, when a steel tower was erected on the property with an automated acetylene light on top. The keeper's house was transferred to the

customs service Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

for use in battling smuggling during

Prohibition Prohibition is the act or practice of forbidding something by law; more particularly the term refers to the banning of the manufacture, storage (whether in barrels or in bottles), transportation, sale, possession, and consumption of alcoholic ...

. The tower and house were eventually sold to a private individual. In 1963 the light was purchased by Lockwood Clark, who had come across the then-owner while showing his bride-to-be around the point. In 2001, he was approached by the

Coast Guard A coast guard or coastguard is a maritime security organization of a particular country. The term embraces wide range of responsibilities in different countries, from being a heavily armed military force with customs and security duties to ...

about returning the light to the original tower. This would have not only the sentimental value of bringing the old light back to life, but would save the

a considerable sum, as the steel towers were in need of expensive refurbishment if not replacement. In August 2002 a new solar powered beacon was installed in the old tower, the first of a series of such restorations on the lake. The light is still in service and remains an active aid to navigation.

References

* * * {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1830 Lighthouses completed in 1858 Lighthouses in Vermont Transportation buildings and structures in Grand Isle County, Vermont 1830 establishments in Vermont