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Harbour Lights Avery Point CT
To the visitor seeing the Gothic tower on the University of Connecticut's Avery Point campus, one might believe they are looking at an ancient European bastion from a once important fort. In fact, the 55-foot tower is Avery Point Lighthouse, the last sentinel built in Connecticut and one that a dedicated corps of volunteers is in the process of restoring to its pristine state.
Built by the Coast Guard in 1943 as part of its training center, it was abandoned and turned over to the University when the beacon was extinguished in 1967. It was constructed as a symbol of the lighthouse duties of the USCG, and is the only lighthouse ever built in America as a memorial to the legacy of keepers.
The octagonal red block tower of Avery Point was topped by a beautiful 8-sided wood lantern room, a combination that lent the air of antiquity to the beautiful lighthouse. The antique marble balusters around the top of the tower had been imported from Italy, and once graced the garden of the former estate that is now part of the University campus. To preserve them from collapsing after years of neglect, a retaining barrier was constructed.
No longer attended or maintained, the once proud tower was abandoned to the elements and fell into serious disrepair. Its condition was so deteriorated that chunks of the structure were falling off on a daily basis. No longer structurally sound for visitors to enter the tower, Avery Point Light still remained important to the local Groton community, to the State and to the preservation of lighthouse history. In 1997, Jim Streeter, deputy mayor of Groton, spearheaded a move to save the lighthouse. Through his efforts, a local chapter of the American Lighthouse Foundation, the Avery Point Lighthouse Society, was formed in 2000.
In addition to raising the hundreds of thousands of dollars needed to rebuild the majestic tower and its unique lantern room, the Society successfully had the sentinel listed as a National Historic Site, as well as being listed as a State Landmark. Members are committed to painstakingly reconstructing the tower in an authentic manner. For example, research determined there were six different sizes and shapes of blocks used in the original construction, and special molds had to be constructed for the restoration. A total of 300 molds of the six different sizes and shapes were made in order to expedite production of the 3,000 new blocks needed.
The nearby West Mystic Boat Building Company built a duplicate of the old lantern room, as a donation to the restoration. The beacon originally projected a steady white light of 100 candlepower, using 8 hanging 200-watt bulbs. In 1960, the candlepower was increased to double, and a flashing green light shone over Long Island Sound until it was snuffed out in 1967.
Today, the University works in consort with APLS in its preservation efforts, lending its support to the volunteer effort. Today, there are more than 200 members of the Avery Point Lighthouse Society and contributions have come from lighthouse lovers across the nation. For more information about membership or to make a contribution, contact the Society at (860) 445-5417 or E-mail them at APLS1941@aol.com.
This piece was created to honor, commemorate and celebrate the incredible restoration project undertaken and completed by this selflessly dedicated group of lighthouse lovers, led by the doggedly determined Jim Streeter. Harbour Lights has created a unique sculpture depicting the lighthouse in its full glory after the preservation efforts were completed.
Our price:
$54.00
Quantity:
Out of stock
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