Lighthouses were an important maritime navigational tool for centuries, guiding ships away from rocks, shoals, and other dangerous terrain and safely into harbor. According to the United States Lighthouse Society, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the preservation of lighthouses, there are close to 800 lighthouses dotting America’s shoreline.
But modern technology, like GPS, has rendered lighthouses mostly obsolete. Since the early 2000s, the federal General Services Administration (GSA) has been giving away these unique structures, most of which are over a century old.
It’s all part of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, legislation aimed at preserving this important part of maritime history by transferring ownership of selected lighthouses to local or state governments or a nonprofit for free. In return, the entity that takes ownership of the lighthouse must promise to maintain and preserve it, and open it to visitors.
This summer, the GSA has listed six lighthouses to be given away for free, including Old Saybrook’s Lynde Point Lighthouse. Located at the mouth of the Connecticut River, the 65-foot octagon brownstone tower was built in 1838. The lighthouse was busy for many years, as a parade of ships traveled up the Connecticut River. The lighthouse went automated in the 1970s.
Surprisingly, Lynde Point Lighthouse is not a tourist attraction for Old Saybrook. The lighthouse, as well as the road leading to the lighthouse, are closed to the public. Right now, the best way to see it up close is by boat. That could all change if Old Saybrook is granted ownership. In an email to Connecticut Public, Old Saybrook First Selectman Carl Fortuna said the town has sent an email to the GSA expressing interest in taking ownership of the lighthouse.
If a suitable owner is not found for the lighthouse, it will be sold at auction to the highest bidder.
