Accessibility: 
Geographic coordinates: 41° 10' 00" N 73° 10' 39" W
Nearest city: Bridgeport. Located on the grounds of the Bridgeport Harbor Generating Station at the west side of the entrance to Bridgeport Harbor.
Established: 1895. Present lighthouse built: 1895. Automated: 1954.
Height of tower: 31 feet. Height of focal plane: 31 feet.
Previous optic: Sixth-order Fresnel lens. Present optic: 155 mm.
Characteristic: Green flash every 4 seconds.
Diminutive “Bug Light,” as it’s known locally, was originally about 500 feet offshore at the end of a breakwater at the entrance to Bridgeport’s inner harbor. The first keeper was S. Adolphus McNeil, longtime keeper of the old Bridgeport Harbor Lighthouse, which burned down in 1953. There was never a dwelling built here, so McNeil constructed a little shanty on the breakwater where he’d sometimes spend the night.
When McNeil died in late 1904, his widow, Flora Evans McNeil, replaced him. Flora was a sea captain’s daughter and expert boater. In stormy weather, she could be seen dashing out on the breakwater in a rubber coat and boots. “I suppose some people would think it an impossible thing to do,” she told a reporter, “but I am almost as much at home on or in the water as I am on land, and I have no real fear of the water even when it is angry.”
Fascinating Fact 
Flora Evans McNeil, one of this light’s keepers, also ran a manicure business in Bridgeport.
The breakwater was shortened in 1919, and the lighthouse was moved to its present location, 275 feet closer to shore. The light was automated in 1954. It stands today on the property of the Bridgeport Harbor Generating Station, and the grounds are off limits to the public.
An excellent view is possible from the Bridgeport-to-Port Jefferson (NY) ferry, which passes the lighthouse soon after it departs from Bridgeport. See www.portjeffferry.com or call 631-473-0286 (NY) or 203-335-2040 (CT) for details. Sailing time is 75 minutes, and you also get a distant view of Stratford Shoal Light on the trip.
