 (2022) | |
 | |
| Location | Entrance to Long Island sound |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°14′36.6″N 72°2′49.2″W / 41.243500°N 72.047000°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1878 |
| Foundation | Granite and concrete caisson and pier. |
| Construction | Granite |
| Automated | 1978 |
| Height | 45 feet (14 m) |
| Shape | Square/octagonal |
| Markings | Natural color with white lantern |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place  |
| Fog signal | Fog Horn points southeast. HORN: 2 every 30s |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1879 |
| Deactivated | Active |
| Focal height | 67 feet (20 m) |
| Lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) |
| Characteristic | Flashing Red 10s |
Race Rock Light Station | |
| Nearest city | Fishers Island, New York |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Architect | Francis Hopkinson Smith |
| Architectural style | Gothic Revival |
| MPS | Light Stations of the United States MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 05000347[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 29, 2005 |
Race Rock Light is a lighthouse on Race Rock Reef, a dangerous set of rocks on Long Island Sound southwest of Fishers Island, New York and the site of many shipwrecks.[2][3][4] It is currently owned and maintained by the New London Maritime Society as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program.[5]
Race Rock Light was built 1871–78 and designed by Francis Hopkinson Smith (1838–1915). It is an excellent example of 19th-century engineering and design. The massive masonry foundations on the reef took seven years to complete, but the stone structure, the keeper's quarters, and the tower were built in only nine months once the foundation was secure. The lighthouse has a fourth-order Fresnel lens in a tower standing 67 feet (20 m) above the waterline. The United States Coast Guard automated the light in 1978.[3]
Race Rock Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
- ^ "National Register Information System – (#05000347)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
- ^ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard. 2009. p. 181.
- ^ a b "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: New York". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. Archived from the original on 2017-05-01.
- ^ Rowlett, Russ (2010-04-08). "Lighthouses of the United States: Downstate New York". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
- ^ "New London Maritime Society takes over as New London Ledge Light owner".