Sheffield Island Light
Encyclopedia
Sheffield Island Light is an historic Connecticut
, USA, lighthouse
located at the southern end of the Norwalk Islands
on the west entrance of the Norwalk
River on northern Long Island Sound
.
The island, at the time known as "White Island", was purchased by Captain Robert Sheffield in 1804 for $6000. In 1826 Gershom Smith, Sheffield's son in law, sold 4 of the island's 53 acres (21.4 ha) at the southwest point to the United States
government for the purpose of building a lighthouse. Smith would serve as the first keeper for the light which was completed in 1828. At the time the island was known as Smith Island. The first light originally ran on oil.
In 1857 the light was upgraded to a fourth-order Fresnel lens
. The original 30 feet (9.1 m) tower was replaced by a Victorian
style limestone
(masonry
) dwelling, with a 44 feet (13.4 m) high light tower in the gable
, in 1868. The Fresnel lens
from 1857 was moved into the new structure and with a focal plane 51 feet (15.5 m) above water it was visible for more than 12 miles (19.3 km). The lighthouse is of the same design as lighthouses at Great Captain Island
and Morgan Point
in Connecticut; Old Field Point Light
and Plum Island
in New York; and Block Island North
in Rhode Island.
Greens Ledge Light
was built to the west of Sheffield in 1900 and was better located to warn ships of the rocks and shoals on the approach to Sheffield Island harbor and Norwalk harbor
. Sheffield Island Light was then deactivated in 1902. In 1987 the 118 year old structure was purchased by the Norwalk Seaport Association for renovation and restoration. In 1989 the lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places
. In 1993 an electric generator was added to the structure, but in the fall a great storm flooded the basement of the building and artefacts were lost or destroyed. In 2002 the Seaport association started ferry service to the island, which is still running. In October 2011 the lighthouse was re-lighted by solar powered system installed to replace the gasoline generator system. The beacon is focused only on the Norwalk side and is not intended for use as navigation.
Connecticut
Connecticut is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, and the state of New York to the west and the south .Connecticut is named for the Connecticut River, the major U.S. river that approximately...
, USA, lighthouse
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....
located at the southern end of the Norwalk Islands
Norwalk Islands
The Norwalk Islands are a chain of more than 25 islands amid partly submerged boulders, reefs and mudflats along a six-mile stretch and mostly about a mile off the coast of Norwalk, Connecticut and southwest Westport, Connecticut, in Long Island Sound.The islands are used for several different...
on the west entrance of the Norwalk
Norwalk, Connecticut
Norwalk is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of the city is 85,603, making Norwalk sixth in population in Connecticut, and third in Fairfield County...
River on northern 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...
.
The island, at the time known as "White Island", was purchased by Captain Robert Sheffield in 1804 for $6000. In 1826 Gershom Smith, Sheffield's son in law, sold 4 of the island's 53 acres (21.4 ha) at the southwest point to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
government for the purpose of building a lighthouse. Smith would serve as the first keeper for the light which was completed in 1828. At the time the island was known as Smith Island. The first light originally ran on oil.
In 1857 the light was upgraded to a fourth-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
. The original 30 feet (9.1 m) tower was replaced by a Victorian
Victorian architecture
The term Victorian architecture refers collectively to several architectural styles employed predominantly during the middle and late 19th century. The period that it indicates may slightly overlap the actual reign, 20 June 1837 – 22 January 1901, of Queen Victoria. This represents the British and...
style limestone
Limestone
Limestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
(masonry
Masonry
Masonry is the building of structures from individual units laid in and bound together by mortar; the term masonry can also refer to the units themselves. The common materials of masonry construction are brick, stone, marble, granite, travertine, limestone; concrete block, glass block, stucco, and...
) dwelling, with a 44 feet (13.4 m) high light tower in the gable
Gable
A gable is the generally triangular portion of a wall between the edges of a sloping roof. The shape of the gable and how it is detailed depends on the structural system being used and aesthetic concerns. Thus the type of roof enclosing the volume dictates the shape of the gable...
, in 1868. The Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
from 1857 was moved into the new structure and with a focal plane 51 feet (15.5 m) above water it was visible for more than 12 miles (19.3 km). The lighthouse is of the same design as lighthouses at Great Captain Island
Great Captain Island Light
Great Captain Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Great Captain Island in the western Long Island Sound off the coast of Greenwich, Connecticut, United States...
and Morgan Point
Morgan Point Light
Morgan Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Noank, Connecticut, United States, on the west side of the mouth of the Mystic River.-History:In 1831 the original granite tower was built...
in Connecticut; Old Field Point Light
Old Field Point Light
Old Field Point Light is a lighthouse within the village of Old Field, New York between the entrances to Port Jefferson Harbor and Stony Brook Harbor on the north shore of Long Island....
and Plum Island
Plum Island Light
Plum Island Light, also known as Plum Gut Light, is located on the western end of Plum Island, which lies eastof Orient Point which in turn is at the end of the North Fork of Long Island...
in New York; and Block Island North
Block Island North Light
Block Island North Light , built in 1867, is a historic lighthouse on Block Island, Rhode Island .-History:The first light on the site was built in 1829. The current structure at Sandy Point is the fourth lighthouse built on the site and was made of granite and iron in 1867...
in Rhode Island.
Greens Ledge Light
Greens Ledge Light
Greens Ledge Lighthouse is a sparkplug lighthouse in Connecticut,United States, off the southwest end of the Norwalk Islands, Long Island Sound, near Norwalk, Connecticut...
was built to the west of Sheffield in 1900 and was better located to warn ships of the rocks and shoals on the approach to Sheffield Island harbor and Norwalk harbor
Norwalk Harbor
Norwalk Harbor is a recreational and commercial harbor and seaportat the estuary of the Norwalk River where it flows into Long Island Soundin Norwalk, Connecticut, United States.The last portion of the Norwalk River from the head of navigation...
. Sheffield Island Light was then deactivated in 1902. In 1987 the 118 year old structure was purchased by the Norwalk Seaport Association for renovation and restoration. In 1989 the lighthouse was placed 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 1993 an electric generator was added to the structure, but in the fall a great storm flooded the basement of the building and artefacts were lost or destroyed. In 2002 the Seaport association started ferry service to the island, which is still running. In October 2011 the lighthouse was re-lighted by solar powered system installed to replace the gasoline generator system. The beacon is focused only on the Norwalk side and is not intended for use as navigation.
External links
- Norwalk Seaport Association, which runs the lighthouse