One of my passions is reading the history of lighthouses. To me there's a mystical allure of an angel bringing light and illumination in dire situations. I can only image how many seafaring vessels were saved from a watery grave. Each week I will feature one lighthouse and a brief overview of its history.
The structure above is a mile from my home. It is simply known as the Little Red Lighthouse. Situated under the George Washington Bridge, it provided a warning to vessels on the Hudon River of treacherous currents and rocky shores. It stands at the crook of Fort Washington Park (formerly known as Jeffrey's Hook). Constructed in 1889, it has been at its current location since 1921. When the bridge was opened in 1931, the little red lighthouse was rendered obsolete.
There was a proposal of dismantling the lighthouse in 1951, but a public outcry stopped any such plans. Today, the light is a historical landmark and the only lighthouse in the New York City proper.
A book about the lighthouse was written in 1942 by Hildegard H. Swift called The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge.
2 comments:
4 or 5yrs. ago, I saw a PBS show on lighthouses. They showed something like 40 lighthouses. Fascinating....
I'll have to look that up on the site.
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