The Montauk Point Lighthouse, commissioned by President George Washington in 1792, is one of the best-known and most-beloved icons of Long Island. It was the first lighthouse to be built in New York, and is the fourth-oldest working lighthouse in the nation. It was named a National Historic Landmark in 2012, one of only 12 lighthouses to be so honored.
Construction o the lighthouse began on June 7, 1796
and was completed on November 5, 1796. It was built by John McComb, who also
built Gracie Mansion and two other lighthouses that are still standing: in
Eaton’s Neck, Long Island and Cape Henry, VA.
In 1860, 30 feet were added to its height and a new
lantern room was built by Ira Winn of Portland, ME. The height of the tower is
110′ 6″ and there are 137 iron steps to the top.
When Montauk Point Light was first lit in 1797, it
burned whale oil. Whaling was a growing industry at the time. and for more than
hair a century Montauk Point's lantern used fuel from the huge mammals. By the
late 1850s, however. whales began to be scarce as ships ranged the globe in
search of them. For a time. Montauk Point Light was forced to burn lard oil
when whale oil was unavailable. With the discovery of petroleum came kerosene
which was cheaper and easier to obtain than whale oil. In the 1860s. finally,
the light was converted to a kerosene wick permanently.
For many years Montauk Point Light was an inaccessible
place, and the early keepers of the light, their wives, and families led
solitary and very lonely lives There was only one rock road leading from the
Point to East Hampton and the nearest village 20 miles away. Life at the light
continued this way until the early 1900s when the new motor cars brought droves
of visitors to the light.
Wives replaced keepers at tending light when they died
or when they were called to other duties such as rescue work. Such was the case
in December 1856, when the brig "Flying Cloud" ran aground on the
rocks at Montauk Point and Patrick T. Gould, the keeper climbed down the face
of the bluff in a gale to save the crew from drowning in the surf. He was
awarded a gold medal by the grateful Lifesaving Benevolent Association of New
York. The inscription on it told of his "courage and humanity saving from
inevitable death the crew of the brig "Flying Cloud," wrecked on
Montauk Point December 14.1856." However, apparently nothing was mentioned
of his wife's role in maintaining the light during her husband's heroic rescue
efforts.
The lighthouse was tended by civilian keepers until 1939,
when the Coast Guard took over. During the Second World War, the Army moved
into the lighthouse and built the large tower that stands next to it for the
purpose of watching for submarines.
Sources:
“Montauk Point Lighthouse.” Montauk Historical
Society, montaukhistoricalsociety.org/montauk-point-lighthouse/. Accessed 28
Mar. 2024
“The Story Of the Montauk Point Light House.” Long
Island Genealogy, www.longislandgenealogy.com/lighthouse.html. Accessed 28 Mar.
2024
