Hudson–Athens lighthouse

Hudson–Athens lighthouse
Hudson–Athens lighthouse

Location	Hudson River, between Athens and Hudson
Coordinates	42°15′7″N 73°48′31″W / 42.25194°N 73.80861°W / 42.25194; -73.80861Coordinates: 42°15′7″N 73°48′31″W / 42.25194°N 73.80861°W / 42.25194; -73.80861
Year first constructed	1874
Year first lit	1874
Automated	1949
Foundation	Granite caisson
Construction	Dressed Stone and red brick
Tower shape	Square, red brick, granite trim
Height	46 feet (14 m)
Original lens	fifth order Fresnel, 1926; currently at Mystic Seaport Museum
Current lens	currently 12-inch (300 mm) light
Range	4 nautical miles (7.4 km; 4.6 mi)
Characteristic	Green light occulting every 2.5 sec
Fog signal	Fog bell mechanism at 15 sec intervals
Admiralty number	J1140.75
ARLHS number	USA-391 ^[1]
USCG number	1-38560 ^[2]

Hudson–Athens lighthouse
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Hudson–Athens Lighthouse, September 2006
Architect	Unknown
MPS	Hudson River Lighthouses TR
NRHP Reference #	79003796
Added to NRHP	May 29, 1979^[3]

The Hudson–Athens lighthouse, sometimes called the Hudson City light, is a lighthouse located in the Hudson River in the state of New York in the United States. The light is located between Hudson and Athens, closer to the Hudson side. Constructed in 1874, it marks a sandy ridge known as Middle Ground Flats and also acts as a general aid to navigation of the river. The station is built on a granite caisson with a unique shape designed to protect it from ice floes and river debris. The dwelling is constructed in the Second Empire architectural style,^[4] with a mansard roof. It is considered to be virtually a twin of the Stepping Stones Light in Long Island Sound, which was constructed just a few years later.

History

The station's beacon was originally lighted by Henry D. Best, the station's first lightkeeper, on November 14, 1874.^[5] It was upgraded to a fifth-order Fresnel lens in 1926, and the station was fully automated on November 10, 1949.^[6] In 1967, the Hudson River Valley Commission, led by Nelson A. Rockefeller, suggested that certain lighthouses owned by the United States Coast Guard be turned over to not-for-profit historical groups to ensure their preservation and upkeep. Hudson–Athens was the first station to be tried through such a program, and on February 15, 1984, a 20-year lease was signed between the Coast Guard and the Hudson–Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society (HALPS).^[6] In 2000, title to the station was turned over permanently to HALPS.^[5] Today, the Preservation Society conducts occasional tours of the station, which is being restored to its condition as it would have been in the 1930s.

The Lighthouse was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) as survey number NY-6286. There are 9 architectural drawings available in the survey.^[7]

The Hudson–Athens lighthouse is shown on the NOAA Chart 12347.^[8]

Chronology

Chronology from USCG web site

1872: Congress of U.S. approves $35,000.00 to build the light.
1873–1874: Light was constructed.
1874, November 14: Light was put into operation with Henry D. Best as the first keeper.
1949, November 10: The light was automated.
1940s: Electricity was installed.
1967: Nelson A. Rockefeller established the Hudson River Valley Commission, which suggested the USCG deed over or lease lighthouse facilities to public or not-for-profit groups for maintenance and preservation.
1982: Hudson–Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed.
February 15, 1984: A 20-year lease between the Lighthouse Preservation Society and the USCG was signed. This was the first lease of its kind.
2002: Occasional tours are available to the public through the Lighthouse Preservation Society

Cultural

The Archives Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a collection (#1055) of souvenir postcards of lighthouses and has digitized 272 of these and made them available online. These include postcards of Hudson–Athens Light^[9] with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

References

↑ ARLHS World List of Lights
↑ Light List, Volume I, Atlantic Coast, St. Croix River, Maine to Shrewsbury River, New Jersey (PDF). Light List. United States Coast Guard.
↑ National Park Service (2007-01-23). "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service.
↑ Sheila Buff (2008). Insiders' Guide to the Hudson River Valley. Globe Pequot. p. 42. ISBN 978-0-7627-4438-1.
1 2 Hudson (Hudson–Athens) Lighthouse, New York at Lighthousefriends.com
1 2 "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: New York". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
↑ "Hudson-Athens Lighthouse (drawings)". Historic American Buildings Survey. Washington, D.C.: Library of Congress. Retrieved March 9, 2014.
↑ NOAA Chart 12347
↑ Smithsonian lighthouse postcards

External links

Lighthouses of the Hudson River

Coxsackie Light Danskammer Point Light Esopus Meadows Light Four Mile Point Light Hudson-Athens Light Little Red Lighthouse (Jeffrey's Hook) New Baltimore Light Rockland Lake Light Rondout Creek (Kingston) Light Saugerties Light Stony Point Light Stuyvesant Light Tarrytown Light (Sleepy Hollow) Van Wies Point Light Watervliet Light West Point Light

Lighthouses of New York

Ambrose Tower Aunt Phebe Rock Barber's Point Barcelona Blackwell Island Bluff Point Braddock Point Buffalo Light Buffalo Harbor North and South entrance Lights Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Light Buffalo North breakwater East end Light Buffalo North Breakwater South End Light Cape Vincent Carleton Island Cedar Island Charlotte–Genesee Cold Spring Harbor Coney Island Coxsackie Crossover Island Crown Point Cumberland Head Dunkirk East Charity Shoal Eatons Neck Elm Tree Beacon Esopus Meadows Execution Rocks Fair Haven Fire Island Fort Niagara Fort Lafayette Fort Tompkins Fort Wadsworth Frenchman Island Galloo Island Gardiners Point Horse Island Horton Point Hudson-Athens Huntington Harbor Kings Point Latimer Reef Little Gull Island Little Red Montauk Point Moriches New Dorp North Brother Island North Dumpling Oak Orchard Old Field Point Old Orchard Shoal Ogdensburg Harbor Orient Long Beach Bar Orient Point Oswego Harbor West Pierhead Plattsburgh Beacon Plum Island Point Aux Roches Prince's Bay Race Rock Rock Island Romer Shoal Rondout Sands Point Saugerties Selkirk Shinnecock Sodus Outer Sodus Point South Brother Island Channel Range South Buffalo North Side Split Rock Point Staten Island Statue of Liberty Stepping Stones Stony Point (Henderson) Stony Point (Hudson) Strawberry Island Upper Cut Range Stuyvesant Sunken Meadows Sunken Rock Tarrytown Thirty Mile Point Three Sisters Island Throgs Neck Tibbetts Point Turkey Point Watervliet West Point West Bank Whitehall Narrows Whitestone Point

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