Plum Island Light is located on the western end of Plum Island, which lies in the

Long Island Sound Long Island Sound is a marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York to the south. From west to east, the sound stretches from the Eas ...

, east of Orient Point at the end of the North Fork 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 ...

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

. An historic granite lighthouse originally built in 1869 sits at the site, but no longer serves as an active aid to navigation. It was listed on 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 v ...

in 2011. A short distance northwest is a metal tower that holds the automated light that has served as an aid to navigation since the earlier light was decommissioned in 1978.

History

In 1826 the west end of Plum Island was purchased from Richard Jerome for $90 for the purpose of building a lighthouse. The following year a high stone tower had been constructed to support the first light. That first light consisted of ten whale oil lamps with reflectors. The light helped navigation near the entrance to

, especially through the "Plum Gut" channel between Orient Point and Plum Island. In 1856 the original lamps and reflectors were replaced by a sixth-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 ...

. By the late 1860s the lighthouse was falling into disrepair. A new tall granite lighthouse building was constructed and in service by 1869. The structure is of the same design as lighthouses at Sheffield Island in

Norwalk, Connecticut , image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg , mapsize = 230px , map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...

; Morgan Point in

Noank, Connecticut 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 with a long tradition of fishing, lobstering and boat-buildin ...

;

Great Captain Island Great Captain Island, also known more familiarly as "Great Captain's Island," is an island off the coast of Greenwich, Connecticut. The island is the largest of a three-island group that also includes Little Captain and Wee Captain. The island ...

Greenwich, Connecticut Greenwich (, ) is a New England town, town in southwestern Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census, the town had a total population of 63,518. The largest town on Connecticut's Gold Coast (Conne ...

, Old Field Point in

Old Field, New York Old Field is a Administrative divisions of New York#Village, village located in the Brookhaven, New York, Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, New York, Suffolk County, on Long Island, in New York (state), New York, United States. The population w ...

; and Block Island North on

Block Island Block Island is an island in the U.S. state of Rhode Island located in Block Island Sound approximately south of the mainland and east of Montauk Point, Long Island, New York, named after Dutch explorer Adriaen Block. It is part of Washingt ...

Rhode Island. The sixth order lens from the original lighthouse had been moved to the new building, then it was changed to a newer fourth-order lens in 1897. In 1897

Fort Terry Fort Terry was a coastal fortification on Plum Island, a small island just off Orient Point, New York, United States. This strategic position afforded it a commanding view over the Atlantic entrance to the commercially vital Long Island Sound. ...

was built on Plum Island. The relations between lighthouse keepers and army personnel remained congenial for many years, and the keepers could usually purchase food and supplies at the Fort commissary. But in 1916 an order came down and the keeper at Plum Island Light was informed that purchasing supplies at Fort Terry was no longer allowed. The rule forced William Chapel, the keeper at the time, to sail over a mile to Orient, or 12 miles to

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to purchase supplies. Eventually the

United States Lighthouse Service The United States Lighthouse Service, also known as the Bureau of Lighthouses, was the agency of the United States Government and the general lighthouse authority for the United States from the time of its creation in 1910 as the successor of the ...

was able to persuade the

Army An army (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

that lighthouse keepers should once again be allowed to purchase supplies at army commissaries. Starting in 1939 the Lighthouse Service duties were taken over 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, mult ...

. Coast Guard employed keepers were removed from Plum Island in 1978 when the light was automated on a structure built to the side of the 1869 lighthouse. In 1994 the Fresnel lens was removed from the lighthouse and moved to the East End Seaport Museum in Greenport where it is on display. Starting in 2000 the East End Lighthouses group (distinct from the Seaport Museum organization) was formed and has been working since that time with various government agencies to refurbish, and to hopefully eventually relight the Plum Island light as an active aid to navigation. On April 24, 2007, a resolution was passed by the Town of Southold that will transfer ownership of the lighthouse to the town. The Plum Island Lighthouse is not open for public visits except for community stakeholder groups who are considered for access to Plum Island on a case-by-case basis through the

United States Department of Homeland Security The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) is the Federal government of the United States, U.S. United States federal executive departments, federal executive department responsible for public security, roughly comparable to the I ...

. The light may be seen from the water, but landing on the island is restricted to persons authorized by the Department of Homeland Security for official business at the

Plum Island Animal Disease Center Plum Island Animal Disease Center (PIADC) is a United States federal research facility dedicated to the study of foreign animal diseases of livestock. It is part of the Department of Homeland Security Directorate for Science and Technology, an ...

In popular culture

The Archives Center at the

Smithsonian National Museum of American History The National Museum of American History: Kenneth E. Behring Center collects, preserves, and displays the heritage of the United States in the areas of social, political, cultural, scientific, and military history. Among the items on display is t ...

has a collection (#1055) of souvenir

postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. There are novelty exceptions, such as wood ...

s of lighthouses and has digitized 272 of these and made them available online. These include postcards of Plum Island Light with links to customized nautical charts provided by

National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (abbreviated as NOAA ) is an United States scientific and regulatory agency within the United States Department of Commerce that forecasts weather, monitors oceanic and atmospheric conditio ...

References

External links

* * {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1827 Lighthouses completed in 1869 Houses completed in 1869 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New York (state) Lighthouses in Suffolk County, New York National Register of Historic Places in Southold (town), New York Plum Island (New York) 1869 establishments in New York (state) 1827 establishments in New York (state)