Great Lakes Seaway Trail

Lighthouses

The Great Lakes Seaway Trail shoreline is home to a fascinating collection of 28 historic lighthouses. America's history was shaped by the role these lights played as active beacons -- some are still at work guiding ships traveling the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River and Lake Erie. All of the lights are still an important part of the Seaway Trail region's maritime heritage and serve as prized local landmarks. Learn about these historic lights below.
Key: M=museum, G=gift shop, C=camping, P=picnicking, A=overnight accomodations

Land Lighthouse - Erie, PA This 49-foot lighthouse was originally built in 1818 and was the first lighthouse built by the U.S. Government on the Great Lakes. The tower has since been replaced twice. The current structure was built in 1867 and the light operated until 1899. (Private)	Presque Isle North Pier Light - Erie, PA This 34-foot lighthouse was originally constructed as a wooden tower in 1828, but that light was swept away by a schooner in 1857. The current lighthouse was forged in France and assembled on site in Erie in 1858. It was moved in 1880 and again in 1940. (Private)
Presque Isle Light Station - Erie, PA This lighthouse was first lit in July 1873. It originally stood 40 feet tall before the tower was raised to its current height of 63 feet in 1896. (Private - G,P)	Barcelona Lighthouse - Westfield, NY This 40-foot lighthouse was constructed in 1829. It was the first public building in the United States to be illuminated by natural gas. (Private)
Historic Dunkirk Lighthouse - Dunkirk, NY The present lighthouse complex, constructed in 1875, replaced an earlier light commissioned in 1826. The lighthouse was automated in 1960 and is still operational. (Private, not-for-profit - M,G) www.dunkirklighthouse.com (716) 366-5050	Seaway Trail Lighthouses Guidebook - 4th Edition Beautiful pen-and-ink sketches by Great Lakes Lighthouse Artist Leo Kuschel fill the Seaway Trail Lighthouses Guidebook. Learn more here.
Buffalo Main Lighthouse - Buffalo, NY The first Buffalo lighthouse was lighted in 1818, making it one of the initial lighthouses on the Great Lakes. It was replaced in 1833 with a new light that rested on top of a 68-foot, octagonal tower erected at the end of a 1400 foot pier. (Public - P) www.buffalohistoryworks.com/light Other Buffalo area lights include Buffalo Intake Crib Light, Grand Island Lighthouse, North Breakwater South End Light, Horseshoe Reef Light, and South Buffalo South Side Light.	Lighthouse Notecards Digitally reproduced quilt blocks by artist Mary Knapp depict the lighthouses of the Seaway Trail. Click here for more info and to order.
Old Fort Niagara Lighthouse - Youngstown, NY The first Fort Niagara Light was established on the roof of the Fort in 1782. This light was the earliest unofficial lighthouse on the Great Lakes. The existing stone light went into service in 1872. (Public - P) www.oldfortniagara.org (716) 745-7611	Thirty Mile Point Lighthouse - Golden Hill State Park, NY This lighthouse, erected in 1875, derives its name from being located 30 miles east of the Niagara River. The light was dismantled and the lighthouse closed in 1958, though it returned to service in 1997. (Public - M,C,P,A) New York State Parks Website
Braddock Point Lighthouse - Hilton, NY Completed in 1896, the complex included the Victorian-style keeper's house and the 110-foot, red brick, octagonal tower. The light was extinguished in 1954 and the upper two-thirds of the tower was removed due to extensive structural damage. The house has since been restored to its original beauty and the tower rebuilt. The U.S. Coast Guard relit the light in 1996. (Private - A) www.braddockpointlighthouse.com (863) 984-4008	Charlotte Genesee Lighthouse - Rochester, NY This lighthouse, with its 40-foot tower, was built in 1822. In 1881, the light was removed from service and the lantern transferred to a pier lighthouse. For 100 years the tower was abandoned until 1982 when it was restored and began operation as a museum. (Public - M,G,P) www.geneseelighthouse.org (585) 621-6179
Old Sodus Lighthouse - Sodus Point, NY The original lighthouse was constructed in 1825. The existing lighthouse was built in 1870 when the need for extensive repairs to the original one was recognized. The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1901. (Public - M,G,P) www.soduspointlighthouse.org (315) 483-4936	Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse - Oswego, NY This lighthouse was built in 1934 and replaced a light that stood on the west pier and had been built in 1836 (that light in turn was a replacement for the first lighthouse in Oswego that was built in 1822 on the grounds of Fort Ontario). The 57-foot lighthouse is now solar powered. (Private)
Selkirk Lighthouse - Port Ontario, NY Constructed in 1838, this lighthouse is one of only four lighthouses in the United States that retains its original birdcage lantern. The lighthouse was deactivated in 1858 and relit in 1989. (Private - G,P,A) www.salmonriverlighthousemarina.com (315) 298-6688	Stony Point Lighthouse - Henderson Harbor, NY Erected in 1869, this lighthouse replaced an 1830 lighthouse whose foundation still remains. This 50-foot tall lighthouse was removed from service in 1945. Recent renovations included repointing and repainting the tower. (Private)
Galloo Island Lighthouse - Off Henderson Harbor, NY This lighthouse was first established in 1820, and the present 55-foot lighthouse was built in 1867. (Private)	Horse Island Lighthouse - Sackets Harbor, NY This lighthouse was erected in 1870 on Horse Island, approximately 300 yards from the mainland. The island was used by the British as a staging area before the Battle of Sackets Harbor during the War of 1812. (Private)
Tibbetts Point Lighthouse - Cape Vincent, NY Marking the entrance to the St. Lawrence River, a lighthouse was first constructed in this location in 1827. In 1854, the present 69-foot tower was constructed. (Public - M,G,P,A) www.capevincent.org/lighthouse (315) 654-2700	East Charity Shoal Lighthouse - Off Cape Vincent, NY This lighthouse, originally located in the waters off the Lake Erie shore near Vermilion, OH, was rebuilt in its current location in 1929. The light still operates as a reference point for ships navigating the St. Lawrence Seaway channel. (Public)
Rock Island Lighthouse - Off Fisher's Landing, NY Constructed in 1882, the current lighthouse replaced the combination lighthouse/keeper's house of 1847. Along with the tower, numerous buildings are still standing on the island including the smokehouse, generator house, boathouse, carpenter's shop, and the keeper's house. (Public - P)	Sunken Rock Lighthouse - Off Alexandria Bay, NY This lighthouse was built in 1847 and refitted in 1855. It marks the east entrance to the narrows between Wellesley Island and the U.S. mainland. (Private)
Sisters Island Lighthouse - Off Chippewa Bay, NY The lighthouse was constructed circa 1870 and is attached to the rear of the two and a half story keeper's house. The tower rises about 60 feet. (Private)	Crossover Island Lighthouse - Off Chippewa Bay, NY This lighthouse was constructed in 1848 and is named for the point where shipps crossed between the American and the Canadian channels in the St. Lawrence River. It was rebuilt in 1882 and deactivated in 1941. (Private)
Ogdensburg Harbor Lighthouse - Ogdensburg, NY This 65-foot lighthouse was erected in 1900 at the confluence of the Oswegatchie and St. Lawrence Rivers. It replaced the original lighthouse that was built in 1834 and refitted in 1870. (Private)
Seaway Trail Lighthouse Facts Did you know you can stay overnight at some of the Seaway Trail lighthouses? Can you name the two Seaway Trail lighthouses that claim to be the first on the Great Lakes? Read our lighthouse facts to learn more. Seaway Trail Lighthouse Road Trip Follow the suggested itinerary on our Road Trips page. Lighthouses Beckon Travelers Written by our very own Kara Dunn, this article from Road & Travel Magazine's August 2005 issue talks about some of the Seaway Trail's most magnificent lighthouses.