Great Captain Island Lighthouse
Photo: Wikimedia Commons contributor, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Great Captain Island Lighthouse

Great Captain Island Lighthouse is a building in Greenwich, Connecticut, listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 3, 1991.

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Access
Access information not verified
Last checked October 31, 2026
Location
Greenwich, Fairfield County, Connecticut

National Register listing does not mean a place is open to the public. Parking and accessibility are shown only when verified.

History

Great Captain Island Lighthouse is a lighthouse on Great Captain Island in the western Long Island Sound off the coast of Greenwich, Connecticut, United States. Built in 1829, the first lighthouse, made of stone, was of such poor construction that the walls were severely cracked a decade later. In 1868, a new granite dwelling with attached lantern was completed. The lighthouse is of the same design as lighthouses at Sheffield Island in Norwalk; Morgan Point in Noank; Old Field Point Light and Plum Island in New York; and Block Island North in Rhode Island. In 1890, a fog whistle was added, in 1905 a siren was installed. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1970 when a skeletal tower replaced it. The Town of Greenwich acquired the property in 1973 and had full-time caretakers on the site until the lighthouse became too dilapidated in 2003. A successful restoration effort was completed in 2009 and a non-navigational light was activated in 2012. In 2010, a memorial plaque was installed to "honor the 23 people who lived in Greenwich, or had a connection to the town", who died in the September 11, 2001 attacks. In 1991, the Great Captain Island Light was added to the National Register of Historic Places.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. The official nomination form is linked under Sources.

Other listings in Greenwich

  • Cos Cob Power Station District · listed 1990
  • Glenville Historic District District · listed 2007
  • Glenville School Building · listed 2003
  • Merritt Parkway District · listed 1991
  • Mianus River Railroad Bridge Structure · listed 1987
  • Strickland Road Historic District District · listed 1990
  • Bush-Holley House Building · listed 1988
  • Byram School Building · listed 1990
  • Cos Cob Railroad Station Building · listed 1989
  • Ferris, Samuel, House Building · listed 1989
  • Fourth Ward Historic District District · listed 2000
  • French Farm Building · listed 1975
  • Greenwich Avenue Historic District District · listed 1989
  • Greenwich Municipal Center Historic District District · listed 1988
  • Greenwich Point Historic District District · listed 2021

See all 34 listings in Greenwich →

Nearby historic places

Sources