1890: Long Island Gets a New Lighthouse

January 31, 1890

Not far from Long Island’s north shore, a lighthouse built on a shoal at the entrance to Cold Spring Harbor was first lit. Construction on Cold Spring Harbor Light had begun the previous year.  

The first keeper for this lighthouse was William S. Keene, who had been selected from a pool of 75 applicants. As it turned out, however, Keene held the job for only a month before resigning. He was succeeded by Samuel L. Turner, who went on to serve as Cold Spring Harbor Light’s keeper for a decade. Turner’s tenure ultimately became one of the longest for keepers at that lighthouse.

Cold Spring Harbor Light remained in operation until 1965, when it was replaced by an automated light tower. A local resident purchased the deactivated lighthouse for only a dollar, and had that longtime structure moved to Long Island’s mainland and reinstalled on private property there.

Image Credit: Public Domain

For more information on Cold Spring Harbor Light, please check out  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cold_Spring_Harbor_Light