New London Ledge Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Groton, Connecticut on the Thames River at the mouth of New London harbor. It is currently owned and maintained by the New London Maritime Society as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program.[5]
 New London Ledge Light in 2011 | |
 | |
| Location | Thames River New London Harbor Connecticut United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°18′21.18″N 72°04′38.82″W / 41.3058833°N 72.0774500°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1909 |
| Foundation | concrete pier |
| Construction | granite and brick building |
| Automated | 1987 |
| Height | 58 ft (18 m) |
| Shape | short cylindrical tower on 3-story dwelling |
| Markings | white tower, red lantern roof |
| Power source | solar power  |
| Operator | New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation[1] [2] |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Light | |
| Focal height | 58 ft (18 m) |
| Lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), VRB-25[3] (current) |
| Range | 15 nmi (28 km; 17 mi) |
| Characteristic | three white flashes separated by 5 s, 10 s off, red flash, 10 s off |
New London Ledge Lighthouse | |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1909 |
| Built by | T.A. Scott Company (foundation) Hamilton R. Douglas Company (structure) |
| Architectural style | Second Empire, Mansard |
| MPS | Operating Lighthouses in Connecticut MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 89001471[4] |
| Added to NRHP | May 29, 1990 |
History
New London Ledge Lighthouse was built in 1909 on the southwest ledge. It was originally called the Southwest Ledge light, but this caused confusion with Southwest Ledge Light in New Haven, Connecticut, so it was renamed New London Ledge Light in 1910. The United States Coast Guard took over in 1939 upon its merger with the Lighthouse Service and the light was automated in 1987. The original fourth order Fresnel lens was removed and was later put on display in the Custom House Maritime Museum. The light was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.[4]
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Postcard, about 1910 -
Ledge Light from Harkness Memorial State Park
Ghost legend
New London Ledge is locally famous for the ghost of an early keeper named Ernie who allegedly haunts the lighthouse. The Coast Guard crew on duty at the lighthouse reported unexplained knockings taking place at night, as well as doors opening and closing repeatedly, the television turning on and off by itself sporadically, and the unexplained removal of sheets from beds.[6]
An unknown Coast Guard officer wrote the following in the crew's log on the last night before the automated light system was installed: "Rock of slow torture. Ernie's domain. Hell on earth—may New London Ledge’s light shine on forever because I’m through. I will watch it from afar while drinking a brew."[6]
Ledge Light has been featured on paranormal reality shows such as Scariest Places on Earth and Ghost Hunters. Investigators from The Atlantic Paranormal Society concluded on Ghost Hunters that there was not enough evidence to determine any paranormal activity taking place at the lighthouse, despite a few unexplained phenomena such as cold spots.[7]
Head keepers
- W.B. Petty (1909 – 1910)
- George E. Hansen (1910 – at least 1917)
- Howard B. Beebe (1926 – 1938)
- Leonard Fuller (at least 1940)
- Michael Scanlan (1943 – 1949)
- William Clark (1954 – 1959)[8]
See also
References
- ^ Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Connecticut". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-06-21.
- ^ Connecticut Historic Light Station Information & Photography United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 21 June 2016
- ^ New London Ledge Lighthouse New England Lighthouses. Retrieved 21 June 2016
- ^ a b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
- ^ http://www.theday.com/local/20150806/new-london-maritime-society-takes-over-as-new-london-ledge-light-owner
- ^ a b New London Ledge Lighthouse, Connecticut at Lighthousefriends.com
- ^ TAPS "The Ledge Lighthouse". Ghost Hunters, Sci Fi Channel.
- ^ New London Ledge, CT Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 21 June 2016
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. CT-172, "New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT", 12 photos, 9 data pages, 2 photo caption pages
External links
