Hudson River Lightkeepers
HUDSON RIVER LIGHTHOUSES
From the establishment of Stony Point Lighthouse in 1826 to the building of the Rondout Lighthouse in Kingston in 1915 and to the present, lighthouses have played an important part in the history of the Hudson River. In total there were some fourteen lighthouses built including two at the Rondout Creek in Kingston and a post light with a fog bell at Danskammer Point. There were also numerous other post lights up and down the river. These were kept by "lamplighters". Today only seven lighthouses remain.
LIGHTHOUSES OF THE PAST
STUYVESANT LIGHTHOUSE
Stuyvesant Lighthouse was established in 1829 and discontinued in 1933. It was torn down shortly after that, with some of its foundation stones going for the base of the porch of the Stuyvesant Falls Post Office. Today a skeleton tower marks the place where the lighthouse stood. Probably the most famous piece of history concerning this lighthouse happened in 1832 when an ice jam which had formed up river broke and washed away the lighthouse and four members of the keeper's family. Legend has that the mother did not heed the warning because she wanted to finish her ironing. As a result four of their children were drowned. They are buried in the old Butler Cemetary in Stuyvesant, except for the youngest whose body was never found. A new lighthouse was completed in 1838. Stuyvesant's lighthouse was rebuilt for a third time in 1868. Once again in 1902 an ice jam developed, this time down river from the lighthouse between the Stuyvesant Lighthouse and the Coxsackie Lighthouse. However the water backed up flooding the lighthouse at Stuyvesant and when the ice jam broke, the old (1838) dwelling was washed away. The present lighthouse had fared better than its predesessors, having sustained only minor damage to the tower and needing some repairs made to the walls. It was fully operational by the summer of that year. This time no one was in the lighthouse when the ice gave way.
COXSACKIE LIGHTHOUSE
The Coxsackie Lighthouse was established in 1830 and discontinued in 1939. It was replaced by a skeleton tower and then torn down. In 1890 a post light was erected about a half mile down river with the keeper being responsible for it. One day in 1923, Keeper McDougal was attending to the post light when it gave way, throwing him into the cold waters of the river. Fortunately for him, he was spotted by the captain of a Standard Oil tugboat clinging to the bow of his skiff and thus rescued from a certain death. The same ice jam which had caused damage to the Stuyvesant Lighthouse in 1902 also took its toll on the Coxsackie Light, taking out its north wall, some foundation stones and washing away the station's outhouses. Repairs were completed by that summer.
FOUR MILE POINT LIGHTHOUSE
Four Mile Point Lighthouse was establashed in 1831 and discontinued in 1928 when it was replaced by a skeleton tower near the waters edge. Little is known about the history of this light. It was built high up on a bluff overlooking a section of shallow mud flats on the river. The original stone tower was replaced in 1880 by a twenty-five foot iron tower. Nothing of either tower remains today and there is no evidence that there was ever a lighthouse on the site.
RONDOUT CREEK LIGHTHOUSE
The first lighthouse was establashed on the Rondout Creek in 1837. It was a wood frame building which lasted until 1867 when the second lighthouse was built (pictured above). It was replaced in 1917 when a third lighthouse was built on the opposite side of the creek, which is still an active lighthouse today. In 1856. George W. Murdock was appointed keeper. However, shortly after his appointment he was found dead, apparently the victim of an unfortunate drowning accident. His wife Catherine took over his duties and was the official keeper until 1907 when her son James took over. She was the lighthouse keeper for some fifty years.
WEST POINT LIGHTHOUSE
West Point Lighthouse was established in 1853 and discontinued in 1946. The original light was a thirty-two foot high post light which was replaced by a wooden hexagonal tower in 1872. There was not a keeper's house at this station. A fog signal house was added in 1888. An unusual accident occured in July of 1921. The fog signal house, which was built on the waters edge was damaged when the schooner Philip Mehrhof smashed into the building. West point is the home of the U. S. Military Academy.
ROCKLAND LAKE LIGHTHOUSE
Rockland Lake Lighthouse was established in 1894 and discontinued in 1923 when it was replaced by a red skeleton tower. It was a cast iron (spark plug) tower situated in the middle of the river with the keepers quarters inside. In the latter part of the1890's the tower started to lean and became known as the "leaning tower" of Rockland. Despite the fact that one side was over nine inches lower than the other, the lighthouse remained in commission until 1923.
The Seven Remaining Lighthouses
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