West Point Light was a lighthouse at the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

West Point, New York West Point is the oldest continuously occupied military post in the United States. Located on the Hudson River in New York, West Point was identified by General George Washington as the most important strategic position in America during the Ame ...

. It was located at Gee's Point and was sometimes referred to as Gee's Point Light. West Point Light would be shown on the NOAA Chart 12343NOAA Chart 12343
/ref> if it were still active. Today, Light 39 (USCG 1-38005), on a skeleton tower with a fixed green

light characteristic A light characteristic is all of the properties that make a particular navigational light identifiable. Graphical and textual descriptions of navigational light sequences and colours are displayed on nautical charts and in Light Lists with the cha ...

, has replaced West Point Light on Gee's Point.

History

West Point, above the

Battery Battery most often refers to: * Electric battery, a device that provides electrical power * Battery (crime), a crime involving unlawful physical contact Battery may also refer to: Energy source *Automotive battery, a device to provide power t ...

, is the site of the

. The northeastern extremity of West Point descends to a rocky point, upon the extremity of which was West Point lighthouse. On the opposite side of the river and north of West Point is

Constitution Island Constitution Island is in the northeastern United States, located in New York on the east side of the Hudson River, north of New York City. It is directly opposite the U.S. Military Academy Reservation at West Point and is connected t ...

; the bend between the two is locally known as Worlds End, and has very deep water of . A little above Constitution Island, on the west bank of the river, is a steep, rocky, wooded hill high, known as

Crow's Nest A crow's nest is a structure in the upper part of the main mast of a ship or a structure that is used as a lookout point. On ships, this position ensured the widest field of view for lookouts to spot approaching hazards, other ships, or land b ...

, and just above it is a prominent hill high known as Storm King Mountain.United States Coast Pilot, Atlantic Coast, Section B, Cape Cod to Sandy Hook, 1918, pg 287
/ref> West Point is a high, bluff thickly wooded point, almost entirely occupied by the grounds and buildings of the United States Military Academy. On the northeast it descends to a bare rocky point, upon the extremity of which stood a low square wooden tower, painted white. This was West Point Lighthouse.United States Atlantic Coast Pilot, Boston Bay to New York, 1878, pg 568
/ref>

Cultural

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 West Point Light (New York) with links to customized nautical charts provided by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

References

External links

Lighthouse Friends site
* * * {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1853 Lighthouses in New York (state) Hudson River Transportation buildings and structures in Orange County, New York