Five Mile Point
Encyclopedia
Five Mile Point Light, also known as Five Mile Point Lighthouse or Old New Haven Harbor Lighthouse, is a lighthouse
in New Haven, Connecticut
, United States, on the harbor
entrance to Long Island Sound
, five miles (8 km) from Downtown New Haven
. It is located in Lighthouse Point Park.
The lighthouse, completed in 1845, and a keeper's dwelling built in 1812 were described in detail and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1990.
The original lighthouse, built in 1805, was a 30 feet (9.1 m) octagonal wooden tower. Mariners complained that the light was not bright enough nor tall enough, so in 1847, a new 65 feet (20 m) tower with 12 Lamps with 21 inches (533.4 mm) reflectors, was built. The lamp system was upgraded to a fourth-order Fresnel lens in 1855. The lighthouse was extinguished in 1877 when the offshore Southwest Ledge Light
replaced it for navigation
.
The tower was renovated in 1986.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, United States, on the harbor
New Haven Harbor
New Haven Harbor is an inlet on the north side of Long Island Sound in the state of Connecticut in the United States. The harbor area is an inlet carved by the retreat of the glaciers during the last ice age approximately 13,000 years ago....
entrance to Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
, five miles (8 km) from Downtown New Haven
Downtown New Haven
Downtown New Haven is the neighborhood located in the heart of the city of New Haven, Connecticut. It is made up of the original nine squares laid out in 1638 to form New Haven, including the New Haven Green, and the immediate surrounding central business district, as well as a significant portion...
. It is located in Lighthouse Point Park.
The lighthouse, completed in 1845, and a keeper's dwelling built in 1812 were described in detail and were listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1990.
History
Southwest Ledge Light
Southwest Ledge Light is a lighthouse in New Haven, Connecticut.United States, on the reef at main entrance to New Haven Harbor. It was one of the first to be built on a cylindrical iron foundation, an innovation by Maj. George H...
replaced it for navigation
Navigation
Navigation is the process of monitoring and controlling the movement of a craft or vehicle from one place to another. It is also the term of art used for the specialized knowledge used by navigators to perform navigation tasks...
.
The tower was renovated in 1986.