HomeMy WebLinkAboutHortons Point
Lighthouse History by Amy Folk, Southold Town Historian
Hortons Point
Built 1857
The waters around Hortons Point have been nick-named Deadman’s Cove because the rocky shoal and glacier rocks along the coast
were a hazard to local ships. A lighthouse to mark the area was commissioned in 1790, but the Lighthouse Board did not acquire the
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funding for the light until 1854. After some negotiation the Board purchased the land to build the light in 1855. William Sinclair, a
Scottish immigrant and former engineer in Brooklyn Navy Yard, was selected to oversee the construction. His first entry about the
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project noted the delivery of 90,000 bricks, on May 16, 1857.
On June 9, 1857 the cornerstone was for structure. A second shipment of 60,000 bricks arrived on June 23, 1857 to be used for the
tower. Barely a month later, July 7, construction began for the keepers house. By September 25, the masons finished work on both the
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tower and dwelling. On October 5, the third order Fresnel lantern was raised into place and a week later the work was completed.
The light was lit on October 15, 1857 and William Sinclair stayed on as the first keeper. The total cost of the construction was
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$12,412, and of that amount $2,100 was spent on the lens and its apparatus.
Although today the Horton Point Lighthouse is all one structure,
originally, the tower and keeper’s dwelling were free-standing. In
the first of many minor changes, shortly after the light starting
operation, a partially enclosed piazza was constructed to connect
the keeper’s house with the tower. Then the open arches of the
piazza were filled in and a window and door installed to fully
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enclose the space.
Since the original structure did not provide for an assistant keeper’s
living space, between 1865 and 1870, a second story was added to
the enclosed piazza to provide sleeping quarters for the assistant
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keeper.
The main floor of the Keeper’s house was renovated to
From the author's collection
accommodate two families; a former storage room adjacent to the
chimney of the keeper’s dwelling was turned into a common
kitchen. Then two parlors were constructed, one for the keeper and one for the assistant. A small office was also created on the first
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floor.
For many years, the dwelling was left with its red brick walls and grey-colored granite lintels and sills. The brick tower, however, was
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immediately white-washed and later cemented and white-washed.
The lighthouse fell into disuse in 1933 during the depression, when an automatic light was installed. Then structure was brief used
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during World War II as a spotting tower for enemy planes before being abandoned again.
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In 1976, as part of the local bicentennial celebration, the lighthouse was restored to its former glory. The building and grounds are
now owned by the Southold Park District. The first floor of the lighthouse has been turned into a nautical museum which is
maintained by the Southold Historical Society and the ground are kept by the Southold Park District.
1
“New Light-house Buoys, &c. on Long-Island,” Sag Harbor Corrector, 16 August 1854.2
2
“History of the Horton Point Lighthouse,” http://www.southoldhistoricalociety.org/history-of-horton-point-lighthouse, Accessed July 2018. “Laws of New
York –By Authority,” Delaware Gazette, 27 June 1855.4
3
William Sinclair, Horton Point Lighthouse Account Book 1857-1861, original held by the Town of Southold, Southold, Suffolk County, New York.
4
“History of the Horton Point Lighthouse”
5
Ibid.
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Ibid.
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Ibid.
8
Ibid.
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Ibid.
10
Harlan Hamilton. Lights and Legends (Stamford, CT: Wescott Cover Publishing Company, 1987) 126.
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Ibid.
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D'Angelo, John, Carol House, and Cliff and Fleming, Geoffrey Benfield. History of the Horton Point Lighthouse. 2007.
http://www.southoldhistoricalsociety.org/history-of-horton-point-lighthouse (accessed July 18, 2018).
Delaware Gazette. "Laws of New York - By Authority." June 27, 1855: 4.
Hamilton, Harlan. Lights & Legends. Stamford, Connecticut: Wescott Cove Publishing Company, 1987.
Sag Harbor Corrector. "New Light-House Buoys &c. On Long-Island." August 16, 1854: 2.
Sinclair, William. "Horton Point Lighthouse Account Book 1857-1861." Southold, Suffolk County, New York: Original held by the
Town of Southold,, May 16, 1857.