Esopus Meadows Light
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| Esopus Meadows Light | |
|---|---|
 Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, 2000 |
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| Location: | West side of Hudson river |
| Coordinates WGS-84 (GPS) |
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| Year first constructed: | 1839 |
| Year first lit: | 1872 (current tower) |
| Automated: | 1965 |
| Foundation: | Granite Pier on piles |
| Construction: | Wood |
| Tower shape: | Octgonal on Square house |
| Markings/Pattern: | White house with red mansard roof |
| Height: | 52 feet (1871 light) |
| Original lens: | Fifth order Fresnel lens, 1872 |
| Range: | 6 nm |
| Characteristic: | Flashing white, 2.5s |
Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, nicknamed "Maid of the Meadows" and often simply referred to as "the Esopus light" is a lighthouse on the Hudson River near Esopus, New York. The lighthouse stands in the middle of the river, its granite foundation built atop piles that have been driven into the riverbed, and is accessible only by boat.
Construction of the first lighthouse on the site began in 1838 when the land was ceded for $1.00 by the town of Esopus to the US government and the US government appropriated $6,000 to build the light. The light became active in 1839. It was a twin to the Roundout II lighthouse further north up the Hudson river. By 1867, however, the building was heavily damaged by flood and ice and funds for a new lighthouse were appropriated in 1870.
The current lighthouse was completed in 1871 and is the last wooden lighthouse in existence on the Hudson and the only Hudson lighthouse with a clapboard exterior. It was lighted in 1872. It was closed in 1965 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places on May 29, 1979, but by the 1990s it had fallen into a state of disrepair. The most serious problem was the deterioration of the foundation, which had begun to fall apart due to ice damage. The Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission leased the lighthouse from the Coast Guard for the purposes of restoration in 1990, eventually taking ownership in September 2002.
[edit] External links
- Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission home page
- Times Herald Record article on 2002 Esopus acquisition
- U.S. Coast Guard record
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