Latimer Reef Light

Latimer Reef Light
Location In Fisher's Island Sound, one mi NW of East Point on Fishers Island, New York
Coordinates 41°18′16.227″N 72°55′59.937″W / 41.30450750°N 72.93331583°WCoordinates: 41°18′16.227″N 72°55′59.937″W / 41.30450750°N 72.93331583°W
Year first constructed 1804
Year first lit 1884
Automated 1974
Foundation Cast iron/Concrete caisson
Construction Cast iron/Brick
Tower shape Conical
Markings / pattern White tower/Brown band midway/Brown base
Focal height 55 feet (17 m)
Original lens Fifth order Fresnel Lens
Current lens 12 inches (300 mm)
Range 9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi)
Characteristic Flashing White, 6 secs
Fog signal Bell: 2 strokes ev 15s
ARLHS number USA-1049
USCG number

1-20085 [1] [2] [3]

Latimer Reef Light Station
Area less than one acre
Architect U.S. Lighthouse Board
Governing body U.S. Coast Guard
MPS Light Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP Reference # 06000635[4]
Added to NRHP July 19, 2006

Latimer Reef Light is a sparkplug lighthouse on Latimer's Reef in Fishers Island Sound. The lighthouse is located one mile northwest of East Point on Fisher's Island, Suffolk County, New York. Originally called Latemore's Reef after James Latemore.

History

On July 9, 2008, the United States Secretary of the Interior identified Latimer Reef Light Station as surplus under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000. The property was described as

Latimer Reef Light was completed in 1884. It sits in 18 feet of water at the western end offshore of Fisher's Island Sound ... The light includes a 30-foot-diameter (9.1 m) cylindrical caisson foundation painted brown. The caisson is filled with concrete and surrounded by riprap. This foundation supports a 46 foot cast iron superstructure that includes a four-story conical tower topped by a one-story cylindrical watch room and decagonal lantern. The tower, watch room and lantern are painted white with a brown stripe a full story tall around the tower's third story.[5]

Property is listed in the National Register of Historic Places (#06000635, July 19, 2006). The property must be maintained in accordance with the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Historic covenants will be incorporated into the quitclaim Deed.

The easement on the property states that "1) a 360 degree arc of visibility easement; 2) an easement an unrestricted right of accessing, to and across the Property to maintain, operate, service, repair and install equipment as necessary to support its ATON mission; 3) the unrestricted right to relocate or add any aid to navigation or communications towers and equipment (along with necessary right or egress/ingress), or make any changes on any portion of the Property as may be necessary for navigation/public safety purposes; and 4) an easement to the USCG for the purpose of an electronically, 80 decibel fog signal and flashing red light.[6]

The Archives Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a collection (#1055) of souvenir postcards of lighthouses and has digitized 272 of these and made them available online. These include postcards of Latimer Reef Light [7] with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

2009 photo

References

External links