New London Ledge Light

New London Ledge Light
New London Ledge Light
	The lighthouse in 2022
Location	Thames River; New London Harbor, Connecticut
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
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Light
Focal height	58 ft (18 m)
Lens	Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), VRB-25 (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
	U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Built	1909
Built by	T.A. Scott Company (foundation); Hamilton R. Douglas Company (structure)
Architectural style	Second Empire
MPS	Operating Lighthouses in Connecticut MPS
NRHP reference No.	89001471
Added to NRHP	May 29, 1990

New London Ledge Lighthouse is a lighthouse on the Thames River in the U.S. state of Connecticut, at the mouth of New London Harbor. It was built in 1909 in the Second Empire style and was automated in 1987. In 1990, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. The lighthouse is owned and maintained by the New London Maritime Society as part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act program.^[5]

History

New London Ledge Lighthouse was built in 1909 on the southwest ledge at the mouth of New London Harbor. 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 New London Customhouse museum. The light was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.^[4]

Postcard, c.1930-45
The light's lantern and watch room in 1997
The top of the lighthouse in 2010

Ghost legend

Ledge Light has long been the subject of a ghost legend, centering around the supposed spirit of a former keeper named Ernie. The lighthouse 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.^[6]

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)^[7]

References

Notes

^ 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 Archived 2016-07-08 at the Wayback Machine New England Lighthouses. Retrieved 21 June 2016
^ ^a ^b "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
^ Smith, Greg (August 6, 2015). "New London Maritime Society takes over as New London Ledge Light owner". The New London Day.
^ TAPS "The Ledge Lighthouse^{[permanent dead link]}". Ghost Hunters, Sci Fi Channel.
^ New London Ledge, CT Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 21 June 2016

Bibliography

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

Media related to New London Ledge Light at Wikimedia Commons

[1] Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Connecticut". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Retrieved 2016-06-21.

[2] Connecticut Historic Light Station Information & Photography United States Coast Guard. Retrieved 21 June 2016

[3] New London Ledge Lighthouse Archived 2016-07-08 at the Wayback Machine New England Lighthouses. Retrieved 21 June 2016

[nris-4] "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.

[5] Smith, Greg (August 6, 2015). "New London Maritime Society takes over as New London Ledge Light owner". The New London Day.

[6] TAPS "The Ledge Lighthouse^{[permanent dead link]}". Ghost Hunters, Sci Fi Channel.

[7] New London Ledge, CT Lighthouse Friends. Retrieved 21 June 2016

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History

Ghost legend

Head keepers

See also

References

External links