11/21/2023 0 Comments Lighthouse point park new havenThe lamp system was upgraded to a fourth-order Fresnel lens in 1855.Ī two-story brick dwelling was built just north of the lighthouse and was connected to it by an enclosed wooden walkway. The new light, at a focal plane of ninety-seven feet above the water, was produced by a system of twelve lamps with twenty-two-inch reflectors. The exterior is made of East Haven sandstone from Jabez Potter’s quarry, the interior lined with New Haven brick, and the seventy-four steps leading to the lantern room are carved from solid granite. Building on the ledge was found unfeasible, so instead, a new tower was built at Five Mile Point for $10,000.Ĭompleted in 1847 by Marcus Bassett, the new tower, painted white, stands sixty-five feet tall. In 1845, a new tower was recommended, and it was suggested that a better placement would be on the offshore Southwest Ledge that gave mariners so much trouble. Mariners had been complaining for years that the light was not bright enough, nor tall enough to be seen over a row of trees to the east of the lighthouse. Under the watch of Elihu Ives (1824 – 1846), a new tower was constructed. He flatters himself he shall be able to give general satisfaction.” Keeper Finch’s son Milton inherited the position, but died just a mere three years later at the age of thirty-five. The Connecticut Journal carried the following advertisement in 1806 that shows Finch, a revolutionary soldier, was running a side business at the lighthouse to supplement his income: “Jonathan Finch, (on the Five Mile Point, at the Light-House), informs the inhabitants of New Haven and its vicinity, that he has provided himself with a good assortment of liquors and can accommodate parties with lobsters, black-fish and clams. Wedmore and then Jonathan Finch, who held the position until his death in 1821. Morris served as keeper for three weeks, until the post was turned over to a Mr. Morris’ rebuilt home can be seen today just outside Lighthouse Park. The British burned his home and all the buildings on his estate to the ground. Morris, hoping the British would spare his home, set his dining room table with all the food and luxuries he possessed, and then left the property. The British eventually succeeded in overtaking the point. The British fell for the ploy, and believing they would be met by Americans, immediately returned to their boats. He mounted his horse and began shouting out orders to the stones and trees, as if they were Americans lying in wait. One night during the Revolutionary War, Morris heard the British approaching his property. The property had been in the Morris family since 1660 as part of an original grant by the Colony of New Haven. The first keeper was Amos Morris, the landowner from whom the government purchased the necessary tract of land for the lighthouse for $100. In 1835, a two-and-a-half story keeper’s dwelling was added to the station. Its light consisted of eight lamps, set in thirteen-inch parabolic reflectors and placed around a circular table, and was visible for nearly thirteen miles. The original lighthouse was a thirty-foot-tall, wooden, octagonal tower, with shingled sides and roof. Mariners knew to give the light a berth of at least two miles to avoid a dangerous ledge to its southwest. As he approached the shore, Watkins cried out from the lead boat, “Disperse ye rebels!” But they did not, and Watkins was killed in the subsequent battle.įive Mile Point, named for its distance from downtown New Haven, became the sight for a lighthouse in 1805 to mark the entrance to New Haven Harbor. The British, with their sights set on New Haven, attempted a landing at Five Mile Point during the Revolutionary War, but the Americans were waiting. Just south of Five Mile Point Lighthouse lies the grave of British Ensign and Assistant Adjutant Watkins, who met his end on July 5, 1779.
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