Penfield Reef Light facts for kids
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| The lighthouse in 1913 | |
 Penfield Reef Light
Location in Connecticut
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| Location | Fairfield Connecticut United States |
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| Coordinates | 41°07′02″N 73°13′19″W / 41.117113°N 73.222022°W |
| Year first constructed | 1874 |
| Automated | 1971 |
| Foundation | granite caisson |
| Construction | wooden tower, granite keeper's house |
| Tower shape | octagonal tower with balcony and lantern |
| Markings / pattern | white tower, black lantern |
| Height | 35 feet (11 m) |
| Focal height | 51 feet (16 m) |
| Original lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | VRB-25 |
| Characteristic | Fl R 6s. |
| Fog signal | 1 blast every 15s. |
| Admiralty number | J0840 |
| ARLHS number | USA-590 |
| USCG number | 1-21290 |
The Penfield Reef Lighthouse is a famous lighthouse located in Connecticut, United States. It stands on Penfield Reef at the entrance to Black Rock Harbor, which is part of the Long Island Sound. This lighthouse is just off the coast of Fairfield.
Built in 1874, it was one of the last lighthouses made mostly of stone or brick that was built far from shore. Most lighthouses built after this one were made of cast iron towers on metal foundations.
Penfield Reef is known as one of the most dangerous areas in the western Long Island Sound. The lighthouse structure is about 1.1 miles (1.8 km) away from Fairfield Beach, sitting at one end of the reef.
In 2004, a report said the lighthouse's main structure and roofs were in good shape. However, the wooden frame supporting the balcony around the tower needed big repairs. The U.S. Coast Guard last fixed parts of the lighthouse in 2003. The lighthouse is connected to a two-story house where the keeper used to live. This house is made of granite and wood frames, sitting on a concrete base surrounded by rocks.
Contents
History of the Penfield Reef Lighthouse
The Penfield Reef Light was built in 1874. It has been an active light, helping boats find their way, ever since it was first lit.
The Lighthouse Ghost Story
On December 22, 1916, a sad event happened at the lighthouse. The lighthouse keeper, Frederick A. Jordan, was rowing a small boat called a dory to the mainland. He wanted to join his family for Christmas. The sea was very rough that day. About 150 yards (140 m) from the lighthouse, his boat flipped over.
The assistant keeper, Rudolph Iten, saw what happened. He said he could not launch another boat because the wind was too strong and the tide was going out fast. He could only watch as Jordan disappeared into the water. Jordan's body was found soon after. Iten was not blamed for the death and later became the next keeper.
According to a local legend, Jordan's ghost has haunted the lighthouse ever since. Two weeks after Jordan's death, Iten wrote in the lighthouse logbook that Jordan's ghost appeared. Iten wrote that the ghost floated down the tower's stairs before vanishing into the darkness. He also said he found the logbook open to the page that recorded Jordan's death. Iten even wrote that the Penfield light started "behaving strangely" when the ghost appeared.
Jeremy D'Entremont, who wrote a book called The Lighthouses of Connecticut, said that Iten had tried to save Jordan. So, it was unlikely that the new keeper would make up a ghost story just for fun. Other lighthouse keepers later said they also saw Jordan's ghost. Iten even got them to sign papers describing what they saw.
There's another story from 1942. It says Jordan's ghost saved two boys from the water after their boat flipped over near Penfield Light. The boys said a man rescued them, but they couldn't find him when they went to the lighthouse to say thank you. The story goes that the boys later saw a picture of Jordan and said he was their rescuer.
Modern Times at the Lighthouse
In 1969, the Coast Guard announced plans to replace the old lighthouse with a new steel tower. But many people spoke up against this idea. Led by U.S. Representatives Lowell Weicker and Stewart B. McKinney, the public convinced the Coast Guard to change its mind. By 1971, the light was set to work automatically. This meant that after 97 years, the lighthouse no longer needed a keeper living there.
In 2007, the U.S. General Services Administration announced they were looking for someone to buy the lighthouse. They would even sell it for just one dollar! In January 2008, the town of Fairfield officially offered to buy and take care of the lighthouse. Their plan included fixing it up, which would cost about $352,000 over 16 months.
On July 29, 2008, a group called Beacon Preservation, Inc. [1] was chosen as the new owners of Penfield Reef Light. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1990. This means it is recognized as an important historical site.
Lighthouse Keepers
Here is a list of the head keepers who lived and worked at the Penfield Reef Lighthouse:
- George Tomlinson (1874 – 1876)
- Augustus W. Eddy (1876 – 1880)
- William Jones (1880 – 1882)
- Neil Martin (1882 – 1891)
- William H. Haynes (1891 – 1908)
- Elmer V. Newton (1908 – 1914)
- Frederick A. Jordan, Sr. (1914 – 1916)
- Rudolph Iten (1917 – 1919)
- Charles Reuter (1919 – 1920)
- Rudolph Iten (1920 – 1926)
- George Petzolt (at least 1936 – 1941)
- William A. Shackley (1941 – 1946)
- Jose Fernandez (1948 – 1953)
- John Chilly (at least 1958)
- John McNamara (2016–present)
