Sheffield Island Lighthouse

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Sheffield Island Light

(Norwalk, Connecticut)

Sheffield Island, just a short boat ride from Norwalk Connecticut, was known as White Island prior to 1804 when it was purchased by Robert Sheffield for $6000. The Island consists of 53 acres.

Gershom Smith married Robert Sheffield’s daughter and bought a part of Sheffield Island from him. In 1826 Gershom sold 4 acres to the government for the purpose of building the first of two lighthouses to be built on the island. The lighthouse was completed in 1828 and Gershom became the lighthouse’s first keeper.

Little is known about its construction except that it contained 10 lamps with parabolic reflectors and was turned using a clockwork mechanism. A new lighting system, with a fourth-order Fresnel lens, replaced the original in 1857.

The existing lighthouse was built in 1868. It is a mid-Victorian style stone lighthouse that is very similar looking to the Block Island North Lighthouse in RI, built in 1867, the Plum Island Light in NY, built in 1869, and the Morgan Point Lighthouse in CT, built in 1868. The tower height was 44 feet that resulted in a focal plane height of 51 feet.

Being too far from the dangerous ledges that the light was attempting to warn mariners about, it was deactivated in 1902 and Greens Ledge Light was built a little further to the west. The government sold the 4 acres of land and the lighthouse in 1914 to Thorsten O. Stabell for a little less than $5000.

In 1986 the Norwalk Seaport Association purchased 3.5 acres of land including the lighthouse from the Stabell family. The Norwalk Seaport Association provides public tours of the lighthouse throughout the summer. You can take a ferry from the Hope Dock next to the Norwalk Maritime Aquarium.

Directions: The lighthouse is accessible only by boat. The Norwalk Seaport Association provides ferry tours during the summer. See http://www.seaport.org/ for more information.

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