Lynde Point Light

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Lynde Point Light

The lighthouse as it appeared about 1905
Location: Old Saybrook, Connecticut
Coordinates
WGS-84 (GPS)
41.271373° N 72.343254° W
Year first constructed: 1803
Year first lit: 1839
Automated: 1975
Foundation: Granite pier
Construction: Brownstone blocks
Tower shape: Octagonal
Height: 65 ft
Original lens: 10 Lamps, 9 inch reflectors (removed)
Current lens: Fifth order Fresnel lens
Characteristic: fixed white light

Lynde Point Lighthouse, also known as Saybrook Inner Lighthouse, is a lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, on the west side of the mouth of the Connecticut River on the Long Island Sound, Old Saybrook, Connecticut

[edit] History

In 1803, the original 35-foot wooden tower was built at Lynde Point. However, the tower was too short and instead of raising the old tower a new 65-foot brownstone tower was built in 1838. In 1852, a fourth-order Fresnel lens replaced the ten lamps and 9 inch reflectors. In 1890, a fifth-order lens, which is still in the tower today, was installed. In 1886, the Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse was built. Lynde Point then became commonly known as the “Saybrook Inner Light" and Saybrook Breakwater became known as the “Saybrook Outer Light”. Lynde Point Lighthouse was electrified in 1955 and automated by the United States Coast Guard in 1978. In 1990 it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Lynde Point is an active aid to navigation and is not open to the public.