Prince's Bay Light facts for kids
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 Prince's Bay Light
Location in New York City
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| Location | Staten Island, New York |
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| Coordinates | 40°30′27.7″N 74°12′48.3″W / 40.507694°N 74.213417°W |
| Year first constructed | 1828 |
| Year first lit | 1864(Current tower) |
| Automated | 2006 |
| Deactivated | 1922-2006 |
| Foundation | Rubblestone |
| Construction | Brownstone |
| Tower shape | Conical |
| Focal height | 107 ft (33 m) (Original tower) |
| Original lens | Third-and-a-half-order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | VRB-25 |
The Prince's Bay Light is a cool, active lighthouse located on Staten Island, New York. It's also known by its official name, John Cardinal O’Connor Light. You can find it in the Pleasant Plains neighborhood.
This lighthouse stands on a bluff about 85 feet (26 meters) high. From there, it looks out over Raritan Bay. Next to the lighthouse is a brownstone cottage. This cottage used to be the home for the person who took care of the light. The bluffs themselves were formed by a huge ice sheet called the Wisconsin Glacier about 10,000 years ago!
History of Prince's Bay Light
The lighthouse you see today was built in 1864. The United States Congress approved $30,000 for its construction. The attached cottage, where the lightkeeper lived, was finished a few years later in 1868.
When the Light Went Out
The Prince's Bay Lighthouse stopped being used in August 1922. This happened because new, modern lights were installed in Raritan Bay. These new lights used acetylene gas and made the old lighthouse unnecessary.
In 1926, a Catholic orphanage bought the lighthouse. This orphanage was called the Mission of the Immaculate Virgin at Mt. Loretto. They bought the lighthouse, the cottage, and another small building.
A New Light and Public Land
Years later, in 1953, a new kind of light was put up nearby. This was a "rear range light" on Mt. Loretto. The U.S. government paid the mission a small fee each year to use that land.
In 1999, the lighthouse and the land around it were purchased by New York State. The Trust for Public Land also helped with this purchase. This area is now called the Mount Loretto Unique Area. It's a special place that's open for everyone to visit. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation takes care of it.
Today, the lighthouse cottage is home to a Forest Ranger Police Officer. In 2006, a new VRB-25 optical system was placed on top of the lighthouse. This means the light is active again!
