}
New London Ledge Lighthouse is a
lighthouse on the
Thames River
The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...
in
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 ...
at the mouth of
New London
New London may refer to:
Places United States
*New London, Alabama
*New London, Connecticut
*New London, Indiana
*New London, Iowa
*New London, Maryland
*New London, Minnesota
*New London, Missouri
*New London, New Hampshire, a New England town
** ...
harbor. It was built in 1909 in the
Second Empire style
Second Empire style, also known as the Napoleon III style, is a highly eclectic style of architecture and decorative arts, which uses elements of many different historical styles, and also made innovative use of modern materials, such as i ...
and was automated in 1987. In 1990 it was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
. The lighthouse is owned and maintained by the
New London Maritime Society as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program.
History
New London Ledge Lighthouse was built in 1909 on the southwest ledge. It was originally called the Southwest Ledge light, but this caused confusion with
Southwest Ledge Light in
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is a city in the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound in New Haven County, Connecticut and is part of the New York City metropolitan area. With a population of 134 ...
, so it was renamed New London Ledge Light in 1910. 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 ...
took over in 1939 upon its merger with the Lighthouse Service and the light was automated in 1987. The original 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 ...
was removed and was later put on display in the
Custom House Maritime Museum Custom House Maritime Museum may refer to:
* United States Customhouse (Newburyport, Massachusetts)
The former United States Customhouse (now the Custom House Maritime Museum) is a historic building at 25 Water Street in Newburyport, Massachusett ...
. The light was added to the
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artistic ...
in 1990.
Ghost legend
New London Ledge is locally famous for the ghost of an early keeper named Ernie who allegedly haunts the lighthouse. 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 ...
crew on duty at the lighthouse reported unexplained knockings taking place at night, as well as doors opening and closing repeatedly, the television turning on and off by itself sporadically, and the unexplained removal of sheets from beds.
[New London Ledge Lighthouse, Connecticut at Lighthousefriends.com]
/ref>
An unknown Coast Guard officer wrote the following in the crew's log on the last night before the automated light system was installed: "Rock of slow torture. Ernie's domain. Hell on earth—may New London Ledge’s light shine on forever because I’m through. I will watch it from afar while drinking a brew."[
Ledge Light has been featured on paranormal reality shows such as '']Scariest Places on Earth
''Scariest Places on Earth'' is an American paranormal reality television series that originally aired from October 23, 2000, to October 29, 2006, on Fox Family, and later ABC Family. The show was hosted by Linda Blair, with narration by Zelda Ru ...
'' and '' Ghost Hunters''. Investigators from The Atlantic Paranormal Society
The Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) is an organization that investigates reported paranormal activity. Based in Warwick, Rhode Island, TAPS was founded in 1990 by Jason Hawes. In 2004, the organization itself became the subject of '' Ghost H ...
concluded on ''Ghost Hunters'' that there was not enough evidence to determine any paranormal activity taking place at the lighthouse, despite a few unexplained phenomena such as cold spots.
Head keepers
* W.B. Petty (1909 – 1910)
* George E. Hansen (1910 – at least 1917)
* Howard B. Beebe (1926 – 1938)
* Leonard Fuller (at least 1940)
* Michael Scanlan (1943 – 1949)
* William Clark (1954 – 1959)New London Ledge, CT
Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 21 June 2016
See also
* List of lighthouses in Connecticut
The U.S. state of Connecticut has fourteen active lighthouses in the state, two of which are maintained as private aids; six are standing but inactive. Another was destroyed after its deactivation. The earliest lighthouse in the state was erected ...
* List of lighthouses in the United States
This is a list of lighthouses in the United States. The United States has had approximately a thousand lights as well as light towers, range lights, and pier head lights. Michigan has the most lights of any state with over 150 past and present l ...
*
References
Notes
Bibliography
*
External links
*
{{authority control
Long Island Sound
Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
Lighthouses in New London County, Connecticut
Reportedly haunted locations in Connecticut
Lighthouses completed in 1909
Buildings and structures in Groton, Connecticut
Historic American Engineering Record in Connecticut
National Register of Historic Places in New London County, Connecticut