Established by Puritans in 1638 based on its sheltered harbor, New Haven was for over two centuries the co-capital of Connecticut with Hartford. New Haven was one of New England's most prosperous cities. The American Gazetteer reported in 1810, "As to pleasantness of situation and salubrity of air, New Haven is hardly exceeded by any city in America." The prominence of the "Elm City" was largely due to the presence of Yale College, which moved to New Haven from Saybrook in 1716.

Before there was a lighthouse at New Haven's Five Mile Point, the spot was noted for a battle in the American Revolution, when American riflemen repelled a British attempt to land and invade New Haven. British Ensign and Assistant Adjutant Watkins was killed in the skirmish and was buried close to where the lighthouse now stands. The British later landed at Five Mile Point and burned down the house of resident Amos Morris. Morris repaired his house and it still stands, not far from Lighthouse Park.

From the collection of Edward Rowe Snow, courtesy of Dorothy Bicknell

Inside the tower

New Haven was a flourishing port in coastal and West Indies trade. Built in 1805 on the east side of the harbor entrance, the first New Haven Light was an octagonal 30-foot wooden tower. It was commonly called Five Mile Point Light after its distance from downtown New Haven. The first keeper was Amos Morris ,Jr., who sold the land for the lighthouse to the government. Morris remained keeper for only three weeks.

From the start the light was considered too low and too dim. An 1838 inspection found the tower in very poor condition. The tower and the keeper's house were leaky and decayed. In 1845, Fifth Auditor Steven Pleasanton recommended the building of a new lighthouse on nearby Southwest Ledge, but this was deemed too expensive. Finally, in 1847, a second lighthouse was built for $10,000 on the same spot as the first.

The new 65-foot tower was built of brownstone (quarried in nearby East Haven) with a brick lining and was attached to the keeper's house. The interior spiral staircase was built of granite.

The tower was very similar to the earlier lighthouses at New London and Old Saybrook. The 12 lamps and reflectors were replaced in 1855 by a fourth-order Fresnel lens, and a fog bell was added in the 1860s.

With improvements in lighthouse engineering, the lighthouse on Southwest Ledge became a reality in 1877, rendering New Haven Light obsolete. On January 1, 1877, Southwest Ledge Light was turned on for the first time and New Haven Light was extinguished. Keeper Elizur Thompson moved from the old light to the new one as the first keeper at Southwest Ledge.

In 1896, Five Mile Point Lighthouse was transferred to the War Department. In 1922 the land was transferred to the State of Connecticut and the buildings went to the City of New Haven, and in 1924 the City bought the entire property for $11,180.

The New Haven Park Commission opened Lighthouse Point Park with the city's only public swimming beach.

In this view from the top of the lighthouse, the old storm signal tower is at the left. In the distance in the upper right is Southwest Shoal Light.

Visitors to Lighthouse Point Park, circa 1920s

Lawrence "Ted" Porter, moved in as caretaker in 1943. Porter had started his career with the city of New Haven at the age of 14, lighting gas lamps on the city's streets. His stay as caretaker at Lighthouse Point Park stretched into the 1970s. A 1964 newspaper article reported that Porter had the duty of flying storm warning flags as needed from a steel tower, which still stands near the lighthouse.

Ted Porter endured some memorable storms, including a 1944 hurricane that had seawater lapping at his front door. It wasn't unusual for the caretaker and his family to be stuck inside the house for two or three days after a severe snowstorm.

A $67,000 renovation was completed in 1986. The interior and exterior of the tower were steam-cleaned and decades of guano was removed from the stairs. Plexiglas was installed in the lantern room and chips in the mortar were repaired.

The old lighthouse tower stands today 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.

The City of New Haven has been developing a master plan for the park. The keeper's house and lighthouse tower are both in need of significant work; a complete restoration will most likely cost at least several hundred thousand dollars. Anyone wishing to be notified of planning meetings can email Robert Levine of the parks department at RLevine@newhavenct.net

A view from the top of the lighthouse, looking toward downtown New Haven