Lynde Point Lighthouse

[HOME] [SCREENSAVERS] [DOWNLOAD] [PURCHASE & REGISTRATION] [LIGHTHOUSE FACTS] [WALLPAPER] [USER'S GUIDE]

Lynde Point Light

(Old Saybrook, Connecticut)

The Lynde Point Lighthouse was built to mark the entrance to the Connecticut River and the harbor of Old Saybrook. Land was purchased from William Lynde for $225.00 and a 35-foot wooden tower was built in 1803.

The original lighthouse tower was considered by many to be too weak and too short, so on 1838 a new lighthouse was built. The new lighthouse was 65-feet tall and was made of granite. It is the one that stands today. It is very similar in appearance to the New London Harbor Light, and the New Haven Harbor (Five Mile Point) Light.

The original lighting system consisted of 10 lamps and reflectors. A fourth-order Fresnel lens later replaced this lighting system in 1852. This was replaced by a fifth-order lens in 1890. The light was electrified in 1955 and automated in 1978. The fifth-order Fresnel lens is still used. The characteristic is a fixed white light.

Keeper’s house built in 1833 was destroyed in 1858 and a new Gothic Revival wood-frame house was built. The Coast Guard tore down that house in 1966 and replaced it with a more modern looking duplex house that serves as Coast Guard housing.

In 1886 another lighthouse was added out on a breakwater very close to the Lynde Point Light. The new light is referred to as the outer light whereas the Lynde Point light is referred to as the inner light. Both lights are currently operational.

Directions: The road leading to the lighthouse is closed to the public and it is difficult to see the lighthouse from accessible land, therefore, it is best seen from a boat.

[Back to the Connecticut Lighthouses Page]

All pictures are the original work of Rick Totton and are protected under copyright laws.

Do not reproduce any images from this website without permission of the author.