Valcour Island Lighthouse
About this property
Bluff Point Light, also known as the Valcour Island Light, on Valcour Island in Lake Champlain was in service from its construction in 1874 until 1930 and was one of the last lighthouses on Lake Champlain to be named. It is now part of Adirondack State Park and operated as a museum by the Clinton County Historical Association, an affiliate of the Adirondack Coast Cultural Alliance (ACCA). Bluff Point Light, for which the United States Congress approved $15,000 in funding in 1870, with a base of blue limestone, stands more than 90 feet (27 m) above the shore. The grounds also include a wooden shed (which has since collapsed and was removed), a cistern and a privy. For almost sixty years, the Victorian style lighthouse and its fifth order Fresnel lens guided ships through the channel between Valcour Island and New York State. As was the case with many other lighthouses, the lighthouse keeper for Bluff Point Light was a disabled Civil War veteran, Major William Herwerth, who worked at the lighthouse from 1876 until 1881 when he died while on duty. In an unusual position for a woman at that time, Herwerth's wife Mary was given command of the lighthouse, which she maintained until 1902. In 1930, the lighthouse ceased operation when a steel tower with an automated light was built to the south of the lighthouse, rendering the lighthouse obsolete. The lighthouse remained unlit until 2002 when the United States Coast Guard lit it in August 2002, although it was not officially put back into service until 2004. After the lighthouse was taken out of service, it was purchased by Doctor Otto Raboff from Massachusetts who renovated and used it as a summer house with his family. In the 1980s, the lighthouse became a part of Adirondack State Park and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has held the deed to the house since 1986 and pays for all maintenance. Since that time, the Clinton County Historical Association worked to restore the lighthouse and preserve it as a museum. In 1999, the Association was given an award by Adirondack Architectural Heritage for their stewardship of the lighthouse.
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Valcour Island Lighthouse
This page lists Valcour Island Lighthouse. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Nearby Battles
Questions about this property
When was Valcour Island Lighthouse listed on the National Register?
Valcour Island Lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 25, 1993.
What type of historic resource is Valcour Island Lighthouse?
Valcour Island Lighthouse is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Valcour Island Lighthouse?
The period of significance for Valcour Island Lighthouse is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Valcour Island Lighthouse?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Valcour Island Lighthouse will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Clinton County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Clinton County.
Explore ClintonCounty ›More historic places in New York
Browse all historic places in New York.
View New Yorkhistoric sites ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Valcour Island Lighthouse will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.