Fort Niagara Light

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Fort Niagara Light
Fortniagara.JPG
Old Fort Niagara Lighthouse
Fort Niagara Light is located in New York
Fort Niagara Light
Location Old Fort Niagara on Lake Ontario
Coordinates Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
Year first constructed 1872
Year first lit 1872
Deactivated 1993
Foundation Natural/emplaced
Construction Limestone, brick lining
Tower shape Frustum of an octagon
Markings / pattern Natural with black lantern
Height 61 feet (19 m)
Focal height 91 feet (28 m)
Original lens Fourth-order fresnel lens
Range 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi)
ARLHS number USA-294 [1]
USCG number 7-2485 [2]

Fort Niagara Light is an inactive lighthouse on the Niagara River on the south shore of Lake Ontario in New York state. It is located on the grounds of Fort Niagara.

History

The lighthouse was established in 1782 atop the "French Castle", a structure still located within Old Fort Niagara. The current tower was first lit in 1872, having been removed from the French Castle to allow for more room for officer's quarters. The light was deactivated in 1996, having been replaced by a light beacon at the US Coast Guard Station Niagara.

The foundation was natural/emplaced and the lighthouse was constructed out of limestone with a brick lining. The tower is octagonal in shape with a black lantern. The original lens was a fourth order Fresnel lens installed in 1859

National Register Status: LISTED; Reference #84002809 Name of Listing: FORT NIAGARA LIGHT (U.S. COAST GUARD/GREAT LAKES TR)

Part of Old Fort Niagara National Historic Landmark; First two towers constructed on the fort; Third (current) tower constructed south of fort; Tower replaced by modern beacon in order to save trees obstructing lantern in 1993.

Cultural

The Archives Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a collection (#1055) of souvenir postcards of lighthouses and has digitized 272 of these and made them available online. These include postcards of Fort Niagara Light [3] with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

See also

References

  1. ARLHS World List of Lights
  2. Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  3. Smithsonian lighthouse postcards

Further reading

  • Oleszewski, Wes. Great Lakes Lighthouses, American and Canadian: A Comprehensive Directory/Guide to Great Lakes Lighthouses, (Gwinn, Michigan: Avery Color Studios, Inc., 1998) ISBN 0-932212-98-0.
  • Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
  • U.S. Coast Guard. Historically Famous Lighthouses (Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, 1957).
  • Wright, Larry and Wright, Patricia. Great Lakes Lighthouses Encyclopedia Hardback (Erin: Boston Mills Press, 2006) ISBN 1-55046-399-3

External links