New Haven Harbor Lighthouse

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New Haven Harbor Light

(New Haven, Connecticut)

The New Haven Harbor Light, built in the 1840s, was first known as the Five-Mile Point Light because it was five miles from the New Haven green in downtown New Haven. It is located on the east side of the harbor entrance.

The first lighthouse on this location was built in 1805. It was an octagonal 30-foot wooden tower. The light, visible for only about six miles, was considered inadequate and an inspection made in 1838 determined the tower to be in very poor condition. In 1847 a new light was built on the same spot as the first. This is the light tower that still stands today.

The new light tower was 70-feet tall and was constructed of East Haven sandstone and was lined inside with New Haven brick. The spiral staircase was made of granite. The tower is very similar to the lighthouses at Lynde Point and New London Harbor. The light source was 12 lamps with 21 inch reflectors. These were replaced in 1855 when a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed. The focal plane of the light is 97 feet above sea level.

In 1877 a new lighthouse, called the Southwest Ledge Light, was built on the end of one of the harbor’s breakwaters. When the new light was lit on January 1, 1877 the New Haven Harbor light was deactivated.

The light was owned by the War Department until 1922 and then was transferred to the city of New Haven. The lighthouse is a part of New Haven’s Lighthouse Point Park. The light tower was renovated in 1986. The lighthouse grounds are easily accessible in the park but the tower is closed to the public. The Southwest Ledge Light is easily seen from the park.

Directions: When traveling north on I-95 take exit 50. Pass over Woodward Avenue and turn right onto Townsend Avenue. Follow Townsend Ave. for about 2.2 miles. Turn right on Lighthouse Road and follow to the Lighthouse Point Park entrance. The lighthouse is located on the park grounds.

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