💡 Five Mile Point Light

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, built in 1805, was a 30-foot (9.1 m) octagonal wooden tower. In 1847, a new 80-foot (24 m) octagonal stone tower was constructed by Marcus Bassett using East Haven brownstone. This new beacon was illuminated by 12 lamps with reflectors. 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. The lighthouse is now contained within Lighthouse Point Park and, along with the keeper's house, was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1990.