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Established: 1827
Light: (1838) 10 lamps, 13" reflectors,
revolving light
Light: (1848) 10 lamps, 14" reflectors,
revolving light
Light: (1856) fourth order Fresnel lens,
revolving light
Rebuilt: 1870
Light: (1870) fourth order Fresnel lens,
revolving light, 30 seconds
Light: (1939) fourth order Fresnel lens, incandescent oil vapor, 24,000
cp, flashing white 1 second, eclipse 6.5 seconds
Fog signal: (1871) fog bell, Steven's striking apparatus, 15 seconds
Height of light above sea level: (1826) 40 feet, (1873) 63 feet
Discontinued: 1978
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In 1826, Richard Jerome sold
3 acres of the 840 acre island to the U. S. Government for $90.00,
and the first beacon, a 40 foot rough stone tower equipped with
ten lamps with reflectors arranged on two rotating copper tables,
was constructed on Plum Island. In 1867, the masonry of the
dwelling and tower were found to be soft and crumbling and the
structures were leaking badly so in 1869/1870 the current masonry
structure was built. This 131 year old granite lighthouse marked
the treacherous waters off the western point of Plum Island
for many years. Originally it had a 350,000 candle power light
and a range of 14 miles before it was discontinued in June of
1978 and replaced by a small beacon. The lighthouse, located
at the top of a rapidly eroding bluff is in danger of being
lost unless preventive action is taken to stabilize the slope.
The lighthouse is one of two on Eastern Long Island on the “Doomsday”
list. East End Lighthouses has made the preservation, restoration,
and relighting of this historic lighthouse its priority project.
For current updates on the plans to save this lighthouse and
relight it as a Federal Aid to Navigation please visit the "Plum
Island Update" section of this web site.
Resolution 2007-408 adopted 4/24/07 for transfer of Plum Island Lighthouse to the Town of Southold.
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| These vintage postcards of
Fort Terry and Plum Island Lighthouse are circa
1920's. They are provided to us from the collection
of Dave Clemens of the Huntington Malitia and
reproduced here with his permission. |
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Plum Island, originally called
Isle of Parmos, was sold to Samuel Wyllys by Wyandanch, the
Montauk Sacham, in 1659 for “a coat, a barrel of biskitt,
100 muxes (iron drills used to make wampum beads from shells)
and fish hooks”. In August of 1775 Plum Island was the
scene of an amphibious landing by continental troops under General
David Wooster to prevent livestock raids by the British. The
Army built Fort Terry as a coastal artillery base on Plum Island
in 1899 during the Spanish American War. It was also an important
strategic post during World War I and World War II, protecting
the entrance to Long Island Sound and New York Harbor. At its
peak, more than 1000 soldiers were stationed here, some of them
housed in the brick quarters still standing and visible from
the southern shores of Plum Island. The parade grounds, also
visible, are now patrolled by geese, but the smaller batteries,
where 3 inch and 5 inch guns were in place, are still visible
from the North, East and South beaches of Plum Island. The 14
inch disappearing rifles were in the larger batteries dug into
the hills in the middle of the east end. The barracks and hospital
buildings were utilized by the USDA as offices, shops, and animal
quarters from the mid 1950’s until 1994, when a new facility
made the use of the historic buildings unnecessary. |
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