Pecks Ledge Light

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Pecks Ledge Light

Pecks Ledge Light in 1993
Location: Long Island Sound, Connecticut
Coordinates
WGS-84 (GPS)
41.0783° N 73.3683° W
Year first constructed: 1906
Year first lit: 1906
Automated: 1933
Foundation: Cast Iron
Construction: Cast Iron
Tower shape: Conical on cylindrical base
Height: 54 ft (16.5 m)
Original lens: Fourth order Fresnel lens
Current lens: 250 mm
Characteristic: green flash every 2.5 s

Pecks Ledge Light, also known as "Peck Ledge Lighthouse", is a lighthouse in Norwalk, Connecticut, United States, southeast of Norwalk Harbor and northeast of Goose Island among the Norwalk Islands on Long Island Sound. The lighthouse is about two miles from Calf Pasture Beach in Norwalk and can be seen from the beach.[1]

The cast-iron structure is still a working lighthouse operated by the United States Coast Guard and is not open to the public. The 54-foot-high lighthouse is painted white with a brown band in the middle. Inside, the structure has three stories of living space along with a basement with cisterns for rainwater storage, all below a watchroom and lantern.[2]

[edit] History

The lighthouse was built in 1906 and had a fourth order Fresnel lens. The light was automated by the Coast Guard in 1933 and now flashes green every 2.5 seconds. In 1988 the Fresnel lens was removed and a 250 mm optic was installed.[3] In 1990 the lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 2004 the Coast Guard installed 100 tons of granite riprap as well as a section of step-cut stones to allow for easier access.

Despite damage from vandalism, nesting birds, and corrosion, the structure is still said to be in good shape.[2]

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ "Peck Ledge Lighthouse, CT" Web page at Web site of LighthouseFriends.com. accessed September 12, 2006
  2. ^ a b "Pecks Ledge Lighthouse" Web pages, at Web site "New England Lighthouses: A Virtual Guide" accessed September 12, 2006
  3. ^ Connecticut Light Stations. United States Coast Guard. Retrieved on 2008-06-01.