Montauk Lighthouse | East Hampton Town, NY
Montauk Light was the first lighthouse in New York State, and is the fourth-oldest active lighthouse in the United States. The tower is 110 feet 6 inches (33.68 metres) high. The current light is a 31⁄2 order bivalve (clamshell) Fresnel lens.
On April 12, 1792, construction on the lighthouse was authorized by the 2nd United States Congress under President George Washington. Ezra L’Hommedieu, a lawyer, member of the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, and a man with scientific interests, consulted with Washington on its construction. He represented the New York City Chamber of Commerce on discussions related to the lighthouse. He made the case that New York City “was first among American ports in the volume of its foreign commerce. By 1797, the harbor was handling a third of the nation’s trade with other countries.” Due to prevailing winds in winter, shippers approaching from sea needed a lighthouse at the end of Long Island to guide them along the south side into New York harbor.
(Source: Montauk Point Light – Wikipedia)
(Virtual Tour: Montauk Point Lighthouse – Montauk Historical Society)
