Accessibility: 
Geographic coordinates: 41° 16' 17" N 72° 20' 35" W
Nearest town: Old Saybrook. Located on the west side of the mouth of the Connecticut River.
Established: 1802. Present lighthouse built: 1838. Automated: 1978.
Height of tower: 65 feet. Height of focal plane: 71 feet.
Optic: Fifth-order Fresnel lens.
Characteristic: Fixed white.
The first lighthouse built at this point in 1802—a 35-foot wooden tower—was deemed too short, leading to the construction of the still-standing brownstone tower in 1838. The tower is similar to the octagonal masonry towers at New London (1801), Faulkner’s Island (1802), and Five Mile Point (1847).
John Ninde Buckridge, a native of New York City, was keeper from 1883 to 1902. Buckridge had lost a leg in the Civil War. He and his wife, Margaret, had six children. Their daughter Minnie was married at the lighthouse in 1890, “amid the hoarse screech of congratulatory steamer whistles,” according to a newspaper account.
Elmer Gildersleeve, the next keeper, raised eight children with his wife in 34 years at light stations in New York and Connecticut. The keeper’s son, Lawrence Gildersleeve, caddied for golfers at a course near the lighthouse—five cents for 18 holes, with an additional 25-cent tip when he was lucky.
Fascinating Fact 
When Keeper Daniel Whittlesey died in 1841, his wife, Catherine, became keeper. An 1850 inspection report praised her, stating that everything was in first-rate clean order.”
The 1858 keeper’s house was demolished and replaced by a modern duplex in 1966. The light was automated in 1978, but the Coast Guard retained the duplex dwelling for housing for two families.
The light station and the road leading to it are not open to the public. Distant views are possible from some points along the shore, including the South Cove Causeway. To get there, take exit 67 off I-95 South and follow Elm Street south, then turn right onto Route 154 (Main Street). Continue on Route 154 as it makes a right turn onto Bridge Street and follow to the causeway. You’ll have to park on a nearby street and walk out on the causeway.
The best photo opportunities are from the occasional lighthouse cruises offered by Captain John’s Sport Fishing Fleet (860-443-7259, www.sunbeamfleet.com) in Waterford. Connecticut River Expeditions (860-662-0577, www.ctriverexpeditions.org) of Essex passes the lighthouse on their South Sunset Cruise.
