Plum Island Light Station, Orient Point New York

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The Plum Island Light Station is part of the system of aids to navigation through the eastern entrances to Long Island Sound built by the federal government from 1806 to 1899 and remains active today. This system of lighthouses had regional significance aiding the coastal trade of New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island, and Massachusetts. The Plum Island Lighthouse was built 1869 and remained a manned station until it was deactivated in 1978 and replaced with a steel tower.

Plum Island, Great Gull Island, Little Gull Island and Fisher's Island extend in a line from Orient Point on Long Island's North Fork across to Watch Hill, Rhode Island. This line of islands is the eastern terminus of Long Island Sound and the passages between them (Plum Gut, the Race, and Fisher's Island Sound) are the entrances to Long Island Sound. Establishing lighthouses to mark the eastern passages into and out of Long Island Sound was a high priority in the federal government's developing system of aids to navigation in these often treacherous waters. A lighthouse was built on Little Gull Island in 1806 to guide shipping through the Race and the following year the Watch Hill Lighthouse was constructed to serve Fisher's Island Sound. In 1827, the first Plum Island Lighthouse was built on the eastern shore of Plum Gut. These first three lighthouses were augmented by Race Rock Lighthouse in 1878 and the Orient Point Lighthouse in 1899 which established the present system of five lighthouses at the eastern entrance to Long Island Sound.

In 1826 the federal government purchased approximately three acres comprising the tip of the northwest point of Plum Island. This promontory in Plum Gut is visible from all approaches to this passageway between Orient Point and Plum Island. The lighthouse built in 1827 was a 30' stone tower carrying an iron lantern. The 1839 "United States Coast Survey" depicts the reservation boundaries, the lighthouse and the separate keeper's dwelling. The 1827 lighthouse tower appears to be at the same location as the present 1869 lighthouse. The keeper's dwelling is shown to be on what is now a level plateau in front of the oil house. The 1827 keeper's dwelling was still standing in 1879 as seen in two photographs by George B. Brainard taken that year. It was a one-and-one-half-story, side-gable dwelling with a center chimney and a three-bay front facade with a center entrance facing south.

In 1852 the U.S. Congress established a new agency, the Light-House Board, to bring efficient management and the highest technology to the country's system of aids to navigation. One of the primary goals was to introduce the Fresnel lens into American lighthouses. The Light-House Board classified all lighthouses according to their function and distance their signal should carry. The classification was based upon the six orders of Fresnel Lenses. Fresnel lenses were invented by Augustine Fresnel in 1822. Most Fresnel lenses were handmade in France and sent unassembled, while others were made in England. Fresnel lenses were a great improvement to other types of aids to navigation as they captured all but 17% of its light through the use of prisms, compared to the 83% loss of light when using a flame and reflectors. Fresnel lenses were also able to throw light to the horizon 20 miles or more. Fresnel lenses were assigned based on the range intended to be served, the largest, first-order lens being reserved for use at key locations to reach the farthest out to sea. The smallest, a sixth-order lens served inland waters or entrances to sheltered harbors. The Plum Island fourth-order Fresnel lens was equal to 350,000 candle power with a range of 14 miles. Major seacoast lights were equipped with the largest first-order lenses; minor harbors and breakwaters would be outfitted with the smallest sixth-order lens.

In addition to the fourth-order Fresnel lens, Plum Island was also equipped with another aid to navigation in the form of an 1871 fog bell with Steven's striking apparatus. The Daboll, Stevens and Gamewell companies developed a clockwork mechanism that would strike a bell at various preset intervals. These windup clockwork mechanisms could strike 10,000 times before the striking apparatus required rewinding. This innovation freed the lighthouse keeper from having to physically strike a bell at the prescribed interval. To aid navigation and allow ship captains to tell one lighthouse from another, the tone and frequency of bell strikes was distinct at each lighthouse. The Plum Island bell sounded every 15 seconds.

Construction of the Plum Island Lighthouse was begun in 1869 and completed the following year. The lighthouse served as an aid to navigation in Long Island's waters until it was deactivated in 1978. The automated replacement light, initially set atop a pole attached to the oil house, is now located on a steel tower west of the 1869 building.

The Light-House Board's priority was the system of first-order lighthouses on the seacoasts. By 1867 the engineers of the Third Light-House District turned their attention to a system of fourth-order lighthouses serving Long Island Sound, Fisher's Island Sound, Gardiner's Bay and Block Island Sound. The Third District engineers developed a standard plan for a fourth-order lighthouse with an integral keeper's dwelling and between 1867 and 1869 built six such lighthouses: the 1867 Block Island North Lighthouse, the 1868 Norwalk Island Lighthouse, and the 1868 Old Field Point Lighthouse (N.Y.) and the 1869 Plum Island Lighthouse.

The 1827 Plum Island Lighthouse tower was reported to be in poor condition after an inspection in 1868. Rather than repair the existing tower, the Third District engineers chose to build their new standard design fourth-order lighthouse. "Fourth Order" lighthouses were so designated by being designed to carry a fourth-order Fresnel lens. Such lenses were assigned based on the range intended to be served, the largest, first-order lens being reserved for use at key locations to reach the farthest out to sea. The smallest, a sixth-order lens served inland waters or entrances to sheltered harbors. Construction of the Plum Island Lighthouse was begun in 1869 and completed the following year. The lighthouse served as an aid to navigation in Long Island's waters until it was deactivated in 1978. The automated replacement light, initially set atop a pole attached to the oil house, is now located on a steel tower west of the 1869 building.

The Plum Island Lighthouse is one of six regional lighthouses of standardized design which successfully joined the lighthouse function with a tasteful architectural form. These are also one of the first important series of integral lighthouses, with the tower rising from the roof of the keeper's dwelling. The design was largely functional; architectural detail which would be vulnerable to the harsh maritime climate is minimized and stylistic references are few. Although the influence of the Italianate style is evident in the segmental ornamentation of the cast iron tower, the design of this and other regional, fourth-order lighthouses may be considered a distinct architectural type rooted in function and durability. The gable-roofed design of the Plum Island Light Station and its five sister lights was soon superseded by mansard-roofed, square plan designs of two stories generally featuring an integral, cast iron tower as found at Plum Island. The Plum Island Lighthouse represents the first surge of post-Civil War federal efforts to invest in a series of improved aids to navigation in the nation's coastal waters. The standardization of designs during this period indicates an increasing professionalization of U.S. lighthouses.

Construction of the Plum Island Light Station started in 1869, and the station commenced operation in 1870. Day-to-day operations of the lighthouse were originally the responsibility of the United States Lighthouse Service. In 1879, Fort Terry, an Army outpost, was built on Plum Island. The relations between lighthouse keepers and army personnel remained congenial for many years, and the keepers could usually purchase food and supplies at the Fort commissary. But in 1916 an order came down and the keeper at Plum Island Light was informed that purchasing supplies at Fort Terry was no longer allowed. The rule forced William Chapel, the keeper at the time, to sail over a mile to Orient, or 12 miles to New London to purchase supplies. Eventually, the United States Lighthouse Service was able to persuade the Army that lighthouse keepers should once again be allowed to purchase supplies at army commissaries. Starting in 1939, the Lighthouse Service duties were taken over by the United States Coast Guard. Tony Tuliano, part of the Coast Guard crew responsible for the operation of the Plum Island Light Station in 1977, described the day-to-day operations as:

Coast Guard employed keepers were removed from Plum Island in 1978 when the light was automated on a structure built to the side of the 1869 lighthouse.

Site Description

The Plum Island Light Station stands at the northwestern tip of Plum Island overlooking Plum Gut, an approximately 1 and 1/2 mile wide channel separating Plum Island from the mainland of Long Island's north fork. The Plum Island Light Station consists of the lighthouse, a granite, gable-roofed residence with an integrated cast iron tower that was constructed in 1869 and its associated c.1900 brick oil house and c.1920 wood-framed storage shed. The lighthouse and outbuildings stand at an elevation of approximately 30 feet above sea level on leveled ground 60' to 70' from the edge of a bluff to its west and south. West of the lighthouse is a tubular steel space-framed tower (1992) that is approximately 20 ft. high and carries the active Plum Island light, an automated 190 mm lantern. The parcel is a +3 acre property transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to the U.S. Department of Agriculture in the 1990s. The lighthouse is inactive, and the property is currently owned by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The Plum Island Lighthouse was one of six lighthouses constructed between 1867 and 1869 around Long Island Sound to a standardized design created by the Third Light-House District. The Plum Island Lighthouse and associated Oil House and storage shed retain a high degree of integrity of design, materials, and setting despite the deterioration of interior surfaces and finishes due to lack of heat, and water infiltration.

The two-story, gable-front lighthouse faces south, and has an integral cast iron tower with shallow consoles rising above the south gable. In plan, the lighthouse measures 30' x 32' and has a 15' x 18' workroom extension on the rear (north). The granite rubble foundation is topped with a watertable course of 24" granite blocks. The 18" thick masonry walls above are surfaced with rock-faced pink granite ashlar. The quoins and most stones conform to a 12" coursing, although the inclusion of much larger blocks and smaller blocks gives the walls a more irregular appearance. The walls are detailed with quoins at the corners and with window surrounds composed of segmental-arch lintels, jams, and sills, which are all of single rock-faced granite blocks. A projecting entrance pavilion at the center of the front facade is similarly treated with single blocks of granite forming the jambs and arched lintel. These blocks have a hammered surface and the jambs have chamfers creating a base and cap. The gable roof of the main block is covered with asbestos-cement shingles and has granite at the ridge. The boxed eaves incorporate built-in gutters. Leaders at the east end originally directed water to a cistern beneath the workroom.

The front entry is set within a segmental-arched opening and retains the original wood enframement and three-light transom. The six-panel door with two glass lights probably dates from the 1960s. The shallow-gabled hood above the front entry is cast iron and features a molded cornice of the same profile as the cast iron tower.

The front (south), east, and west elevations are organized in three bays. The main (south) entry is flanked by four-over-four double-hung windows. At the second level, the wider center bay contains coupled six-over-six windows above the entry with single windows in the outer bays. Both the east and west side elevations have three windows on the first floor and two windows in the outer bays on the second floor. The first-floor window at the west end of the north facade is a blind window. The north facade has two second-floor windows. The workroom wing has a single window on the north and west facades.

A wood-frame enclosed porch against the east wall of the workroom wing shelters the workroom doorway and the original granite bulkhead provides access to the basement. The gable roof of the workroom wing is covered with asbestos cement shingles in a diamond pattern.

Most windows retain the original six-over-six-lights, double-hung sash; the double window on the front facade retains the original four-over-four-light, double-hung sash. One small window in the south gable and two in the north gable retain the original one-over-one-light, double-hung sash. Three windows have replacement sash that appear to date from the 1960s or 1970s: the two first floor windows at the north end of the east facade and the window in the north facade of the workroom wing.

The principal feature of the lighthouse is the one-story tower and lantern mounted at the ridge on the front facade. The tower contained the service room and the lantern above it housed the light apparatus. The base of the cast iron tower has two large scroll brackets extending onto and bolted through the granite face. Above the brackets, the date "1869" is in noted in cast iron numerals. Above the square base, the corners of the tower are chamfered creating an octagonal form within which lies the service room. The tower rises one story to the lantern balcony. A window in the front (south) face of the tower retains the original two-over-two-light, double-hung, iron sash. This window has a bold segmental-arch hood with brackets and a bracketed sill. Blind windows on the east and west faces of the tower have the same cast iron hood and sill. In addition to the window trim, the cast iron tower is embellished with a base molding, scroll chamfer stops, and a crown molding at the lantern balcony.

The lantern balcony has the same octagonal plan as the tower and is composed of four sections of cast iron plate. The upper surface has a raised diamond pattern. The replacement galvanized pipe railing around the balcony has solid round stanchions, which are heavily corroded. A later set of pipe stanchions were installed next to the corroded stanchions. The stubs of the original railing stanchions remain at each corner. There is significant corrosion of the balcony deck and the railing stanchions. The underside of the balcony is also corroded beneath these plates and sections on the east side are cracked.

The approximately 7'-8' diameter and 10' high cast iron lantern has a 3'4" high drum wall on which a framework of cast iron sills and astagals hold the ten glass panes (26 ¾" wide x 36" high) of the lantern. The ten roof panels are cast with an integral cornice molding with flanges to bolt them together and to the anstagals. At the peak of the lantern roof is a ball ventilator.

The first floor contains an entrance hall, bedroom, oil room, kitchen, parlor, and workroom. The second floor has two chambers, a closet, a watch room, and the stairway to the service room and lantern. Both floors have ceiling heights of 9'. Original ceilings and walls are smooth plaster with wood wainscoting in limited areas. The interior surfaces are in poor condition; wall and ceiling paint is generally peeling to the plaster, paint on the woodwork is covered with mildew and mold, and there is extensive inter-coat peeling. Much of the ceiling plaster and some wall plaster has fallen and much of what remains has separated from the lath. In general, original doors have been replaced with modern 6-panel doors; door and window trim is of painted wood with evidence that original architrave moldings were removed at an unknown, presumed modern date. Linoleum flooring has been installed in most areas over original softwood flooring. Modern acoustical tile and suspended ceilings have been installed in most areas.

Significant changes to the interior include the conversion of the first-floor bedroom into a bathroom and the conversion of the workroom into a kitchen. The original wide pine floor was later covered with strip flooring which is now covered with linoleum tiles. Many plaster wall surfaces are covered with plywood paneling probably installed in the 1960s or 1970s. When this paneling was installed, a significant amount of interior woodwork was removed. The baseboards are missing in some rooms. Some door and window architraves were completely removed. On others, only the architrave molding was removed. The plaster ceilings of some rooms were first covered with acoustic tiles. Suspended ceilings were later installed along the plywood paneling on the walls.

Despite the installation of modern surface materials and general deterioration of finishes, the original interior plan is little altered and adequately conveys the operation of the Plum Island Light Station and the living conditions of those stationed at its facility.

The rubble walls of the basement are painted white, the concrete floor is recent. A brick partition and piers are located beneath the tower.

The entrance hall retains the original plan, door and window casings and baseboard. The doorways to the kitchen and parlor are through a 14" partition that supports the tower; the paneled jambs have the same applied moldings as found on the one original doorway on the third floor.

The stairway to the second floor is immediately within and south of the entry and rises between the exterior wall and the south wall of the oil room. The stringers are plain and appear original. The wood treads are covered with linoleum tiles.

Bedroom - The bathroom to the west of the entry originally served as a bedroom. It was converted in the late 20^th Century into a bathroom and retains a toilet, sink, and shower stall. The walls have a wainscot of marlite tiles with plaster above. The ceiling is plaster. The original door and window casings are intact. The six-panel doors to the hall and to the original closet are recent.

Oil Room - This room probably functioned as an oil room or storage room. It retains early storage cabinets on the south and west walls. The walls and ceiling are plaster and the floor is linoleum tile. The oil room retains the original window casings of its single six-over-six window and its baseboards. An open, apparently original, stairway to the basement descends along the south wall, beneath the second-story stairs. The doorways to the kitchen and basement stairway retain the original casings; the six-panel doors are recent.

Parlor - The original parlor is on the northwest corner and most recently served as a recreation room for U. S. Coast Guard personnel stationed at Plum Island. The parlor has a linoleum tile floor, plywood paneled walls, and a suspended ceiling. Above the suspended ceiling is an acoustic tile ceiling. Both windows have recent casings and an eight-light sash. No original trim remains at the doorway to the workroom wing to the north. The doorways to the parlor, hall, oil room, and original closet retain original casings, but the architraves are missing. The closet and oil room doorways have recent 6-paneled doors. The baseboards were removed, presumably when the modern wall paneling was installed.

Work Room - A one-story gable-roofed wing north of the main block was originally the light station workroom. A corbeled chimney stack in the attic indicates this room originally had a stove against the south wall. At some time the workroom was converted for use as the kitchen as evidenced by the metal kitchen cabinets and counter. The workroom has a linoleum tile floor and plywood wall paneling on the walls to the height of a suspended ceiling. The original casings are missing from the doorways to the porch and to the kitchen. The doorway to the closet in the northeast corner retains the original casings but the architrave is missing. The six-panel doors to the closet and porch are recent. The west window retains the original casings. The north window has casings and a sash dating from the conversion to a kitchen. The original baseboards are missing. A trap door at the center of the workroom opens to a large brick cistern which was originally supplied by the gutters and leaders. Within the trap door opening one can see the wood strip flooring under the linoleum and the original 1" x 9" pine flooring.

Second Floor: The stairs from the first-floor turn and rise along the east exterior wall to a central east-west hall. Quarters for light station personnel are located in the northeast and northwest corners and are identified as East Chamber and West Chamber. The Watch Room is located at the southwest; a small room on the south between the stairs from the first floor and the stairs to the tower is identified as "closet" and originally served as storage for supplies needed in the lantern. All second-floor rooms have linoleum tile floors, modern plywood-paneled walls, and smooth plaster ceilings. As elsewhere in the building, original door and window casings remain, less original perimeter moldings, but the six-panel doors are recent. The stair appears to have originally been open to the hall, but at an early date was closed off with 1" x 8" vertical, beaded boarding. The batten door to the stairway is of the same beaded paneling. The open stairway to the tower service room has wood stringers and treads. The square, tapered newel is missing; the cap and the railing are missing. The doorway to the attic retains the original 1 ¼" door. The door has four panels that are flush on one side and have applied moldings on the other. The door retains the original hinges, cast iron rim lock, and white porcelain knob.

Third Floor/Tower: The ½" cast iron tower walls end 5' above the third floor, corresponding to the exterior brackets. Iron posts 4" x 4" bolted to the tower walls extend to I-beams in the floor that are supported by partitions extending to the brick piers in the basement. The octagonal service room is 7' 6" across and has a 9' ceiling. The walls retain the original 4 ½" beaded paneling and an early built-in cabinet. The stairway to the second floor retains the original turned newel and handrail at the stairwell, but the balusters are missing. An open stairway with wood stringers and treads and a square, tapered newel leads up to the lantern room. The service room ceiling is the underside of the lantern deck composed of four cast iron panels with flanges through which they are bolted together.

Lantern Room - The drum wall is composed of six, curved cast iron sections with flanges bolted to the lantern deck. One panel contains the doorway to the lantern balcony. The pedestal, clockworks and fourth-order Fresnel lens were removed in 1994 leaving the lantern room empty. (The pedestal, clockworks, and lens are presently on display at the East End Seaport and Marine Foundation in Greenport, New York.) The "ghost" of the pedestal is evident in the iron floor. When it was in operation, the focal plane of the fourth-order Fresnel lens was at 55' above sea level and flashed white at 2.5 second intervals.

Removal of the clockwork and lens were pursuant to a Memorandum of Agreement among the NYSHPO, USDA and the Advisory Council for Historic Preservation. Loan of these artifacts was made to the East End Seaport and Marine Foundation Museum until such a time that the Plum Island Light Station is stabilized and secured to safely house the lens and associated equipment.

The oil house is a one-story, gable-roofed structure constructed c.1900 to a standardized design by the U.S. Light House Establishment for the storage of mineral oil, prior to electrification of the light. The building is rectangular in plan (11' 6" x 15' 6") and is of brick laid in common bond. A single door on the south is not original. There are no windows; ventilation is provided by an open pattern in the brickwork of the gables. The gable roof is of asphalt shingles, replacing what is shown as a standing seam metal roof in a photograph of c. 1958. An oil house of the same design is found at the nearby Montauk Point Light Station. The oil house is located approximately 40 feet east of and parallel to the lighthouse.

The Plum Island Light station storage shed is a one-story, wood-framed structure with a gable roof of asphalt shingles. The original single doorway on the north was replaced after 1958 by an overhead-type garage door. The storage shed is clad in drop siding and has two, apparently original, four-light fixed sashes on both the east and west walls. The storage shed was used for general storage and is located several feet east of and parallel to the oil house.

The generator house and boathouse were overtaken by water due to severe erosion of the coastal bluff.

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