Fire Island Lighthouse and Lightkeeper’s Quarters, Fire Island National Seashore

---

Fire Island Lighthouse Unit Home Page

---

PARKING

When you drive over the Robert Moses Causeway bridge and reach Fire Island you will be entering Robert Moses State Park. Head to the left at the round-about and continue all the way to the end of the road. There is no parking within Fire Island National Seashore, so you’ll have to use the State Park’s Field 5, which must be some Long Islander term for parking lot, because that’s exactly what it is. Park at the far eastern end (take a left when entering) and look for the boardwalk that leads to the lighthouse. It is a .6-mile walk along level ground, and the boardwalk is accessible to those in wheelchairs. There is a fee to enter Robert Moses State Park, which includes the use of the parking lots, beaches, and other facilities for the day.

Boardwalk connects the parking area at Robert Moses State Park to the Fire Island Lighthouse, Fire Island National Seashore

CLIMBING THE LIGHTHOUSE

The Fire Island Lighthouse tower is open for climbing on a daily basis, typically from 10 AM to 3:30 PM. The lighthouse and tours are run by the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society and not the National Park Service, so for the current schedule and fees, visit the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society web page or call (631) 583-5901. Keep in mind that you may be competing with school groups when it comes to climbing, and the school groups get priority. If you plan to visit during the week when school is in session, call first to make sure the lighthouse is open to the general public.

There are 182 steps along a narrow, spiral staircase to the top of the lighthouse. On the way up there are five windows, each looking out at a different direction. There are also wayside exhibits at each window, so if you are tired, just act like you are reading the information and nobody will suspect that you are out of shape. The exhibits point out which direction you are looking and provide information about the Fire Island Lighthouse and lighthouses in general.

View from the fifth window of the Fire Island Lighthouse, Fire Island National Seashore

Wayside exhibit at the first window of the Fire Island Lighthouse

The final push to the top is up a steep set of stairs, what could almost be called a ladder.

Stairs to the top of the Fire Island Lighthouse, Fire Island National Seashore

From the top of the lighthouse you have a 360º view of the surrounding area. The small building you see just below is a boathouse built in 1939 that now holds an exhibit on the U. S. Lifesaving Service, the precursor to the Coast Guard. The larger building to the east with its own parking lot is a National Park Service Ranger Station. There are a few other small buildings along a boardwalk that runs from the Ranger Station to a dock on Great South Bay. The town you see in the distance is Kismet. If you have any questions or problems, a volunteer from the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society is stationed at the top to assist you.

View from the top of the Fire Island Lighthouse, Fire Island National Seashore

View from the top of the Fire Island Lighthouse eastward towards Kismet, Fire Island National Seashore

National Park Service Ranger Station at Fire Island National Seashore

Boathouse near the Fire Island Lighthouse built in 1939, Fire Island National Seashore

Plan to spend about a half hour for your Fire Island Lighthouse climb.

FIRE ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE HISTORY

Fire Island Lighthouse and Lightkeeper’s Quarters, Fire Island National Seashore

The original Fire Island Lighthouse was built in 1826 and stood on what was then the western tip of the island—which is exactly where the current lighthouse complex is located. Over the years, old sand has shifted and new sand has been added, and now the western tip of the island is 5.5 miles from the lighthouse.

The first lighthouse was 74 feet tall and stood on the left side of the modern Fresnel Lens Building (the foundation still exists). Unfortunately, it was not tall enough to be seen much more than ten nautical miles out at sea, and shipwrecks continued to occur. In 1852 the U. S. Congress authorized the construction of a new lighthouse that was much taller and had a much brighter light. After all, the Fire Island Lighthouse was deemed the most important in New York because it was the first seen by ships heading to New York Harbor.

The second Fire Island Lighthouse, the one now standing, was completed in 1858. It is 168 feet tall and can be seen 21 nautical miles out at sea. It was fitted with a Fresnel Lens, a revolutionary lighting system invented in 1821 by Frenchman Augustin Fresnel. He initially developed four sizes, called “orders,” though over the years more orders were designed, and there are now eleven in total. The lens installed in the new lighthouse was a First Order lens, which was the largest available.

Original First Order Fresnel Lens from the Fire Island Lighthouse

In 1894 it was decided to replace the Fresnel Lens with a new lens invented by Henry Lepaute and convert the Fire Island Lighthouse to electricity so arc-light could be used. A coal-powered steam generator building was constructed west of the lighthouse, and railroad tracks were laid from a bayside dock to the power plant for the transportation of coal. However, the plan was cancelled, and a lightship was stationed off the shore instead. Lightships were actual ships fitted with lights that were positioned far enough out to sea that incoming ships could spot them before a land-based lighthouse. The Fire Island Lighthouse continued to operate, but was not as important with the presence of the lightship.

The original Fresnel Lens was removed in 1933 and replaced with another First Order lens that had been used in the former Shinnecock Lighthouse. This one differed from the original in that it sat in a mercury-filled basin that allowed it to rotate faster and flash every 7.5 seconds instead of every 60 seconds as did the original. The original lens sat on what were known as Chariot Wheels: bronze or steel wheels that rolled in a circle along a steel track. Friction between the wheels and track resulted in a slow rotation speed, whereas friction was negligible in a liquid-based rotation system.

Bronze wheels used to rotate the original Fire Island Lighthouse Fresnel Lens and the light’s rotation clockwork

The original lens was disassembled and shipped to the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia where it was put on display from 1939 all the way until 2000. When the lens exhibit ended, it was once again disassembled and put into storage. Fire Island National Seashore and the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society negotiated to borrow the lens on a long-term loan, but it took another ten years for funds to be raised and a new museum to house the lens to be built.

In July 2011, the Fresnel Lens Building opened, and the lens could once again be viewed by the public. There is no charge to enter, and the building is open whenever the lighthouse itself is open. The museum sits on the location of the old steam-powered generator building from the 1890s. In fact, the Fresnel Lens Building was designed to look like the old generator building, though much larger.

Fresnel Lens Building at Fire Island National Seashore

The Fire Island Lighthouse was eventually electrified in 1939 by using an electric cable that ran underwater from Long Island. That same year the Coast Guard took over the operation of the facility after the United States Lighthouse Service was dissolved.

In 1949, the Fresnel lens was replaced with a Crouse-Hinds beacon light. This was used until the Fire Island Lighthouse was finally decommissioned on December 31, 1973. The tower had deteriorated so much that the Coast Guard did not consider it to be worth fixing. The Crouse-Hinds beacon is now on display in the Visitor Center’s museum.

Crouse-Hinds beacon lights used in the Fire Island Lighthouse

After the lighthouse was decommissioned, the Coast Guard allowed the National Park Service to use the land between Robert Moses State Park and the private community of Kismet, though it was eventually transferred permanently to the National Park Service and became part of Fire Island National Seashore in 1979. By 1981, the lighthouse was in such bad shape that it was slated to be demolished. Local citizens had been trying to save the structure since the mid-1970s, and in 1982 the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed. Members were able to raise over a million dollars for a restoration project.

By 1986 the restoration had reached the point where the light could be relit, this time using a modern lens and a 1000-watt light bulb. Work continued through the early 1990s, with the official end of the project being marked by a Grand Opening on May 15, 1994. In 1996, the Fire Island Preservation Society took over the maintenance and operation of the facility, and in 2006, took ownership from the U. S. Coast Guard, making it privately owned. Today, fees for climbing the tower are used to maintain the building. The rest of the lighthouse complex, which includes a museum in the original Lightkeeper’s Quarters, the original Fresnel Lens exhibit in the Fresnel Lens Building, and a United States Lifesaving Service exhibit in the nearby boathouse, are free to visit.

Back to the Top