Five Mile Point Light
Five Mile Point Light in 2008 | |
| Location | New Haven County, United States |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 41°14′56″N 72°54′14″W / 41.249°N 72.904°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1847 |
| Construction | brownstone (tower), brownstone (basement) |
| Height | 80 ft (24 m) |
| Shape | octagonal tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings | white (tower), black (lantern) |
| Operator | Lighthouse Point Park |
| Heritage | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1847 |
| Deactivated | 1877 |
| Lens | 12 lamps, 21 inch reflectors (1845) Fourth order Fresnel lens (1855) |
| Range | 10 nmi (19 km; 12 mi) |
| Characteristic | decorative light |
Five Mile Point Lighthouse | |
| Location | Lighthouse Point Park, New Haven, Connecticut |
| Area | less than one acre |
| Built | 1845 |
| Architect | Marcus Bassett |
| Architectural style | Lighthouse |
| NRHP reference No. | 90001108 |
| Added to NRHP | August 1, 1990 |
Five Mile Point Light, also known as Five Mile Point Lighthouse or Old New Haven Harbor Lighthouse, is a U.S. lighthouse in Long Island Sound on the coast of New Haven, Connecticut. Located at the entrance to New Haven Harbor, the beacon's name derives from its proximity to Downtown New Haven, about five miles (8 km) away. The original lighthouse consisted of a 30-foot (9.1 m) octagonal wooden tower built in 1805 by Abisha Woodward. In 1847, a new 80-foot (24 m) octagonal tower was constructed by Marcus Bassett with East Haven brownstone. This new beacon was illuminated by 12 lamps with reflectors which were positioned 97 feet (30 m) above sea level. Also constructed at this time was a 2+1⁄2-story brick house which supplanted the previous, deteriorating keeper's dwelling. A fourth-order Fresnel lens replaced the lamps in 1855 and a fog bell was added in the 1860s. The Five Mile Point Light was deactivated in 1877 when the nearby Southwest Ledge Light was completed. Currently, the lighthouse is contained within Lighthouse Point Park and, along with the keeper's house, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.