This lighthouse’s brief three-decade stint as an aid to navigation pales in comparison to its long history as the centerpiece of a beloved city park. It may not serve any purpose for mariners these days, but it’s still a welcoming beacon for many.

Built in 1805 to help guide mariners into the busy harbor, New Haven’s first lighthouse was a 30-foot octagonal wooden tower. It was commonly called Five Mile Point Light after its distance from downtown New Haven. From the start the light was considered too low and too dim.

A second lighthouse was finally built in 1847 on the same spot as the first tower. The new tower, about 80 feet tall, was built of brownstone quarried in nearby East Haven. It has a brick lining and a granite spiral staircase inside.

Captain Elizur Thompson, a popular resident of East Haven, became keeper in 1860. Seven years later Thompson resigned and journeyed to Alaska during the gold rush. He returned two years later, broke but happy to resume his lightkeeping duties.

On January 1, 1877, a new lighthouse offshore at a more advantageous spot on Southwest Ledge was turned on for the first time and Five Mile Point Light was extinguished. Elizur Thompson moved from the old light to the new one as its first keeper.

In 1922 the land was transferred to the State of Connecticut and the buildings to the City of New Haven. The New Haven Park Commission soon opened Lighthouse Point Park, featuring the city's only public swimming beach.

Today the old lighthouse tower stands near a restored antique carousel. The grounds are open year-round but the tower is usually closed. But some good news -- in October 2002 the Lighthouse Point Park Rangers started offering tours of the lighthouse on a limited, reservations-only basis. Call the Lighthouse Point Park rangers at 203-946-8790 to see if any tours are scheduled.

For a more detiled HISTORY of this light visit Lighthouse.cc