Falkner Island Light

Falkner Island Light

View of Falkner Island and Light
Location	New Haven County, US
Coordinates	41°12′43″N 72°39′13″W / 41.2119°N 72.6536°W / 41.2119; -72.6536
Tower
Constructed	1802
Construction	fieldstone (basement), brownstone (tower), brick (lining)
Automated	1978
Height	46 ft (14 m)
Shape	octagonal tower with balcony and lantern
Markings	white (tower), red (lantern)
Power source	solar power
Operator	Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge and Faulkner's Light Brigade[1][2]
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Light
Focal height	94 ft (29 m)
Light source	9 lamps, 16" reflectors (1840), VLB-44 (current)
Range	13 nmi (24 km; 15 mi)
Characteristic	Fl W 10s
Falkner Island Light
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location	Long Island Sound, 5 miles south of Guilford, Connecticut
Area	4.9 acres
Built	1802
Architect	Abisha Woodward
NRHP reference No.	89001467[3]
Added to NRHP	May 24, 1990

Falkner Island Light, also known as the Faulkner Island Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, on Falkner Island which is off Guilford Harbor on Long Island Sound. The lighthouse was constructed in 1802 and commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson. The lighthouse has had three keeper's houses: the original house of 1802 was rebuilt in 1851 and then again in 1871. The 1871 keeper's house survived to 1976, when it was destroyed by fire; the Coast Guard repaired and automated the lighthouse two years later. A volunteer group, the Faulkner's Light Brigade, has undertaken the restoration and preservation of the lighthouse since 1991, completing the last major restoration work in March 2011. Access to Falkner Island and the light is restricted during the nesting season of the roseate terns from May to August yearly. The Falkner Island Lighthouse, as the second oldest extant lighthouse in Connecticut, is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.