Saybrook Breakwater
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Saybrook Quick Facts
Year Station Established: 1886
Is the Light operational? Yes
Year Light First Lit: 1886
Year Automated: 1959
Shape: Conical
Tower Height: 48 ft.
Original Optic: 5th Order, Fresnel
Present Optic: 300mm
Existing Keepers Quarters? Yes
Year Constructed: 1886
Number of Stories: 3
Architectural Style: Integral
Construction Materials: Cast Iron
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Saybrook Breakwater Lighthouse,
Old Saybrook, CT
Click here for more Photos
(4 photos, 58KB total download)
| Last Visited: August, 2004 History/Info:
The harbor of Old Saybrook, at the mouth of the Connecticut River, was
limited in its development by the presence of a large sand bar at the
harbor entrance. Buoys were placed to mark the bar, but the shifting
sand made navigation difficult. In the 1870s two parallel stone jetties
were built and a deep channel was dredged between them. In 1882 $20,000
was appropriated by Congress for the construction of a lighthouse on the
west jetty. Saybrook Breakwater Light, also known as the Outer Light,
was first lighted on June 15, 1886. It is located 1 1/2 miles from Lynde
Point Light.
The 49-foot cast-iron tower on a cylindrical foundation is very similar
to Connecticut's Stamford Harbor Light. It has a basement, four main
floors, a watchroom and a lantern room. It was fitted with a fifth order
Fresnel lens exhibiting a fixed white light with a red sector. A new
fourth order lens was installed in 1890.
Saybrook Breakwater Light was automated in 1959 and its Fresnel lens was
replaced by a modern optic. In the summer of 1996 the Coast Guard
painted the lighthouse and removed a 500-gallon fuel tank and a
generator at a cost of $64,000.
Saybrook Breakwater Light continues to flash a green light as an active
aid to navigation. The lighthouse is visible from several places along
the shore. It is at the end of a private road and is difficult to reach
on foot.
Source:
New England Lighthouses - A Virtual Guide
Hours:
It is at the end of a private road and is difficult to reach on foot. The
light itself is not open to the public.
Latitude/Longitude: 41°16'N 72°21'W
Directions:
click here for
map
click here for
detail map #1
click here for
detail map #2
- From New London take I-95 south to exit 68.
- At the end of the ramp continue on Route 1 south to the intersection
with Route 154.
- Turn right at the intersection onto Route 1/Route 154.
- Follow that for about 0.5 miles. Route 1 continues straight. Bear left
onto Route 154.
- Stay on Route 154 for a little over 2 miles.
- Once you cross over the long bridge, take your first left onto Nibang
Ave.
- This will take you right through a golf course community.
- From here on pay close attention to detail map #2. Take your third right
onto Fenwick Ave.
- In 0.2 miles take your first right onto Agawam Ave.
- Follow Agawam Ave. to the end then turn right onto Mohegan Ave.
- In a couple hundred yards at most, turn right onto Neponset Ave.
- As you drive down Neponset Ave you'll see Lynde Point light, and farther
off in the distance to the right of Lynde Point you'll see Saybrook
Breakwater.
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