New London COUNTY · Lighthouses
New London Ledge Light: A House in the Harbor
A rare masonry lighthouse off Groton, serving New London’s harbor, documented inside and out in June 1997.
Historical focus · 1854–1997
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The story in photographs
June 1997
View looking north
View looking north — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
View looking east
View looking east — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
View looking west
View looking west — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
Detail of landing bracket, southwest elevation, looking south
Detail of landing bracket, southwest elevation, looking south — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
Detail of entrance, southwest elevation, looking north
Detail of entrance, southwest elevation, looking north — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
Basement, showing central cast-iron column and radiating iron beams
Basement, showing central cast-iron column and radiating iron beams — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
Staircase and hallway, first floor, looking southwest
Staircase and hallway, first floor, looking southwest — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
Staircase and hallway, second floor, looking northeast
Staircase and hallway, second floor, looking northeast — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
Unaltered Recreation Room, third floor, looking northeast
Unaltered Recreation Room, third floor, looking northeast — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
Detail, lantern interior, looking southwest
Detail, lantern interior, looking southwest — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsJune 1997
Lantern and watchroom, looking north
Lantern and watchroom, looking north — New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT
Image credit & source
Robert Brewster, Warren Jagger Photography; Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division, HABS/HAER.
No known restrictions on images made by the U.S. Government; images copied from other sources may be restricted.
Original source · Reuse termsTHE STORY BEHIND THE PHOTOGRAPHS
People, places, and change.
Decades of requests for a light
Mariners sought a light near the ledges at the entrance to New London’s harbor long before the lighthouse appeared. The Coast Guard’s history records a request in 1854, discussion of a lightship in 1865, and renewed calls for a lighthouse in 1890. Federal funding finally followed in the early twentieth century. Construction took place in 1908–1909, and the light began operating in November 1909. A fourth-order Fresnel lens and a fog signal addressed different visibility conditions at this difficult approach to the Thames River. [4]
Masonry above the water
The lighthouse’s brick walls and granite trim give it the appearance of a compact house set on an offshore foundation. The engineering record explains why this is unusual: many offshore lights used manufactured cast-iron tower forms, while Ledge Light combined substantial masonry with steel and concrete structural elements. Its domestic-looking exterior enclosed both living quarters and specialized equipment. The survey photographs reveal the entrance, stairways, interior rooms, and lantern, showing how accommodation and navigation technology occupied the same limited footprint. The building’s form is part of its engineering history. [2] [3]
Changing names and changing operation
Originally called Southwest Ledge Light, the station received the name New London Ledge Light in 1910 to avoid confusion with a similarly named light near New Haven. The Coast Guard assumed responsibility in 1939. Automation in 1987 changed the station’s operation, and the historic Fresnel lens was removed for display at New London’s Custom House Maritime Museum. Repairs supported by a 1989 grant and National Register recognition in 1990 belong to the next stage of the story: caring for an important harbor landmark after its staffed era. [4]
The 1997 photographic record
Robert Brewster of Warren Jagger Photography made the selected photographs in June 1997. The documentation was connected with proposed changes involving solar equipment, and it records the station after automation. These are therefore late-twentieth-century views of a 1909 structure, not photographs of its original keepers. Details such as a cast-iron column, steel framing, stairs, and lantern interior show how much working material lies behind the familiar distant silhouette. The collection follows the building from its harbor setting into its rooms, keeping the photographer’s captions attached to each view. [2] [3]
Keep the sources close.
Download this collection’s notes, timeline and image credits. Photographs link to their original archives and require an internet connection.
Building dates and photograph dates are recorded separately. Later photographs are identified in their captions; unknown exposure dates remain unknown. Follow each image’s credit and reuse terms.