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'{{Short description|Lighthouse in Connecticut, U.S. (1902)}} {{good article}} {{Infobox lighthouse | foundation = cast iron with concrete caisson | construction = [[Sparkplug lighthouse]] | shape = 2-stages cylindrical tower with double balcony and lantern incorporating keeper's quarter | lens = 5th order [[Fresnel lens]] (original),<br />4th order Fresnel lens (1902),<br />FA-251 (1987),<br />[[VRB-25]] (current) | fogsignal = 2 blasts every 20s. | module = {{Infobox nrhp | embed = yes | name = Greens Ledge Lighthouse | nearest_city = [[Rowayton, Connecticut]] | architect = Philadelphia Construction Co. | added = May 29, 1990 | area = <1 acre | mpsub = {{NRHP url|id=64500080|title=Operating Lighthouses in Connecticut MPS}} | refnum = 89001468<ref name="nris">{{NRISref|2009a}}</ref> }} | image = File:Greens Ledge Lighthouse.jpg | image_name = Greens Ledge Lighthouse | caption = Greens Ledge Lighthouse in 2022 | name = Greens Ledge Lighthouse }} '''Greens Ledge Lighthouse''' (also known as Greens Ledge Light, or Rowayton Lighthouse) is a historic offshore lighthouse in the western [[Long Island Sound]] near [[Norwalk, Connecticut]] and [[Darien, Connecticut]]. It is one of 33 [[sparkplug lighthouses]] still in existence in the United States and remains an active aid to navigation. It sits in ten feet of water on the west end of Greens Ledge, a shallow underwater reef that runs a mile west of [[Sheffield Island]] and is roughly a mile south of the entrance to [[Five Mile River]] at [[Rowayton]]. Completed in 1902 by the Philadelphia Construction Company, the cast-iron structure is approximately 90 feet tall including roughly 15 feet of the submerged caisson.<ref>{{Cite rowlett|ct|access-date=2016-06-20}}</ref><ref name = cgll>{{cite uscgll|1|2009|191}}</ref><ref name="cghist">{{cite uscghist|CT|date=2009-08-08}}</ref> In 1933, more than 30,000 tons of rocks from the excavation of [[Radio City Music Hall]] were added to the riprap foundation. The light was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Greens Ledge Lighthouse on May 29, 1990. In 2017, Greens Ledge was acquired from the US Government by the Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization established by a group of local residents with the mission of restoring and preserving the lighthouse. The acquisition was made through a founding donation by The Pettee Family and restoration began in June 2018 to address the critical structural deficiencies of the lighthouse.<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.savegreensledge.net | title=Greens Ledge &#124; Connecticut &#124; Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society}}</ref> ==Design== [[File:Green's Ledge Light, U.S. Coast Guard Photo.jpg|thumb|left|U.S. Coast Guard photo]] In the 1890s, the lighthouse was first formally proposed to mark the [[Norwalk Harbor]]. In 1899, the [[United States Congress]] appropriated $60,000 for the establishment of a light and fog signal at Greens Ledge. In 1900, the Philadelphia Construction Company was contracted to construct the foundation and the superstructure. The design for this type of lighthouse was first realized in 1873, from Major Eliiot of the [[United States Lighthouse Board|Lighthouse Board]]. The foundation form is made of identical curved-iron plates with top inward-pointing flanges that are bolted together and secured with knees. The assembled rings are lowered into the water and filled with concrete or stone, concrete for the Greens Ledge Light. A series of photographs from the work in 1901 shows the assembly of the three lower courses at Wilson's Point, the lowering of the cylinder and the light in the fall of 1901 prior to a deposit of protective [[riprap]].<ref name=hp /> The {{convert|52|ft|m|adj=on}} tall Greens Ledge Light was completed in 1902 and serves as a typical example of a [[sparkplug lighthouse]].<ref name="cghist"/> Located in {{convert|10|ft|m}} of water, the foundation flares out to support the deck the lighthouse is built on and includes a cavity for the lighthouse's brick basement and cisterns. The four-story structure of the lighthouse is assembled from five courses of curved iron plates. The interior is lined with brick to insulate and strengthen the tower and to "provid[e] an anchorage for the winding cast-iron stairs which rise on the periphery of each story," writes historian Dorothy Templeton.<ref name=hp /> The plain prefabricated features underwent a period of development of which the Greens Ledge Light was part of a second phase. Templeton describes, "the brackets which support the watchroom gallery and covered deck [as having] a simplified classical detailing and [the] rectilinear window sashes are enclosed in shallower, plainer cast-iron surrounds."<ref name=hp /> A deck encircles the light on above the first story, the watchroom and lantern. The original roofing and some cast-iron stanchions of the decks are able to be seen atop the riprap. The cast-iron door to the lighthouse faces south and at the time of nomination the windows were sealed with plywood. The first floor of the lighthouse serves as the kitchen. The second level has two rooms split by a partition with the smaller room being a bathroom. The third level was not divided, but did not have a description in the National Historic Register of Places survey.<ref name=hp /> The fourth floor has six porthole windows and has had much of its woodwork removed and part of the cast-iron floor and brick wall are exposed. The lighthouse's lantern measures {{convert|7|ft|m}} in diameter.<ref name=hp /> Once active, the [[Sheffield Island Light]] was discontinued.<ref name=friends>{{cite web|url=http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=785|title = Greens Ledge Lighthouse, CT|publisher = LighthouseFriends.com|date = April 11, 2014}}</ref> == Service == Originally, the light had a fifth-order [[Fresnel lens]], but a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed in May 1902, just three months into its operation. The light characteristic was a fixed white light with a red flash every 15 seconds. In 1972, the light was automated and the Fresnel lens was replaced with a modern optic. The light continues to serve as an active aid to navigation.<ref name=site /> In 1987, a FA-251 was installed before the current lens, a [[VRB-25]] was installed.<ref name="digest">{{cite web | url=http://www.lighthousedigest.com/digest/database/uniquelighthouse.cfm?value=62 | title=Greens Ledge Light | publisher=Lighthouse Digest | access-date=11 April 2014}}</ref> The current light characteristic is an alternating white and red flash every 24 seconds.<ref name="mil">{{cite web | url=http://www.uscg.mil/d1/antlis/files/lights%5Cgll.asp | title=Greens Ledge Light | publisher=United States Coast Guard | access-date=11 April 2014}}</ref> The white and red flashes can be seen for 18 nautical miles and 15 nautical miles, respectably.<ref name=mil /> During its service, the tower began to tilt and the keepers moved all the furniture to one side of the tower. The problem was reported to have been exacerbated following the [[1938 New England hurricane]].<ref name=friends /> == Importance == [[File:Green's Ledge Light, Norwalk 1907.jpg|thumb|The light in a 1907 postcard.]] The light was added to the [[National Register of Historic Places]] as Greens Ledge Lighthouse on May 29, 1990.<ref name="hp">{{cite web | url={{NRHP url|id=89001468}} | title=National Register of Historic Places nomination – Greens Ledge Light | publisher=National Park Service | date=29 May 1990 | access-date=12 April 2014 | author=Templeton, Dorothy}}</ref> It is listed as "significant as a typical example of a pre-fabricated cast-iron conical lighttower on a cast-iron tubular foundation."<ref name=hp /> It is believed that Greens Ledge Light was the primary inspiration behind the fabled green light in [[F. Scott Fitzgerald's]] 1925 novel [[The Great Gatsby]]. Fitzgerald spent the summer of 1920 in a rented home in [[Westport, Connecticut]] during the early drafting of the novel. From the beachfront, Fitzgerald would have seen the light of Greens Ledge Light - roughly 5 miles southwest - a light that would likely have been the brightest visible light over the Long Island Sound, which was also in the direction of his primary residence in [[Great Neck, Long Island]]. As green lights were rarely used in nautical applications before the 1930s, it is believed that Fitzgerald’s inspiration for the “green light” was derived from Greens Ledge Light, which at the time was labeled in many charts as simply ‘Greens Light'. The lighthouse served as a source of inspiration for Walter DuBois Richards, an artist, for over forty years.<ref name="hour82">{{cite web | url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1916&dat=19821008&id=RipJAAAAIBAJ&sjid=rwYNAAAAIBAJ&pg=4867,1546374 | title=Artist Inspired By Love For Lighthouse | work=The Hour | date=8 October 1982 | access-date=12 April 2014 | author=Coneybear, John F.}}</ref> Since 1935, swimmers have been competing annually in the Arthur J. Ladrigan Swim Race, a one-mile (1.6&nbsp;km) race from the lighthouse to Bayley Beach in the [[Rowayton, Connecticut|Rowayton]] section of Norwalk.<ref>{{cite news|last =Fenwick|first = Alexandra|title = A long crawl: Swimmers compete in annual Sound race|newspaper = The Advocate|location = Stamford, CT (Stamford edition)|date = September 10, 2006|pages = A3, A9}}</ref> == List of keepers == This list includes known keepers, but excludes assistants and non-officers of the Coast Guard.<ref name="site">{{cite web | url=http://www.newenglandlighthouses.net/greens-ledge-light-history.html | title=History of Green's Ledge Lighthouse, Norwalk, Connecticut | publisher=New England Lighthouses | access-date=11 April 2014 | author=D'Entremont, Jeremy}}</ref> {| class="wikitable" |- ! Name !! Year !! Reference |- | William DeLuce || 1902–1908 || <ref name=site /> |- | Robert Burke || 1908–1909 || <ref name=site /> |- | John Huskey || circa 1909 || <ref name=site /> |- | John Kiarskon || circa 1910 || <ref name=site /> |- | William T. Locke || 1910–1912 || <ref name=site /> |- | William Rhodes || circa 1917 || <ref name=site /> |- | George Petzolt || 1930–1932 || <ref name=site /> |- | George Clark || 1939–1943 || <ref name=site /> |- | Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society || 2017-present || <ref name=site /> |- |} == Sold == In September 2016, Green's Ledge Light was put up for auction to the public. It was sold on September 15, 2016 for $150,000 to The Pettee Family, the highest of 4 bidders. The Pettee Family donated the lighthouse to a newly founded 501(c)3 nonprofit, The Greens Ledge Light Preservation Society, to spearhead the restoration and preservation efforts.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://gsaauctions.gov/gsaauctions/aucdsclnk?sl=BOSTN116008001 | title=GSA Auctions, General Services Administration, Government Site for Auctions}}</ref> ; <nowiki>Sale-Lot Number:</nowiki> : BOSTN116008001 ; <nowiki>Sale Type:</nowiki> : Online Auction ; <nowiki>City, State:</nowiki> : Norwalk, CT ; <nowiki>Bidders:</nowiki> : 4 ; <nowiki>Close Time:</nowiki> : 09/15 03:03 PM CT (Closed) ; <nowiki>Time Remaining:</nowiki> : ; <nowiki>Case #:</nowiki> : 1-X-CT-0551 == See also == {{stack|{{Portal|Connecticut|Engineering}}}} * [[List of lighthouses in Connecticut]] * [[List of lighthouses in the United States]] * [[National Register of Historic Places listings in Fairfield County, Connecticut]] ==References== {{reflist}} ==External links== {{commons category}} * {{HAER |survey=CT-175 |id=ct0643 |title=Green's Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, Norwalk, Fairfield County, CT |photos=14 |data=9 |cap=3}} {{Lighthouses of Connecticut}} {{National Register of Historic Places}} {{authority control}} [[Category:Lighthouses completed in 1902]] [[Category:Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut]] [[Category:Lighthouses in Fairfield County, Connecticut]] [[Category:Buildings and structures in Norwalk, Connecticut]] [[Category:Historic American Engineering Record in Connecticut]] [[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Fairfield County, Connecticut]]'