Hudson–Athens Lighthouse Explained

Location:Hudson River, between Athens and Hudson
Coordinates:42.2519°N -73.8086°W
Yearbuilt:1874
Yearlit:1874
Automated:1949
Foundation:Granite caisson
Construction:Dressed Stone and red brick
Shape:Square, red brick, granite trim
Lens:fifth order Fresnel (1926), 300mm light (current)
Characteristic:Green light Light_characteristic every 2.5 sec
Fogsignal:Fog bell mechanism at 15 sec intervals
Module:
Embed:yes
Hudson–Athens Lighthouse
Added:May 29, 1979
Mpsub:Hudson River Lighthouses TR
Refnum:79003796

The Hudson–Athens Lighthouse, sometimes called the Hudson City light, is a lighthouse located in the Hudson River in the state of New York in the United States.[1] The light is located between Hudson and Athens, closer to the Hudson side. Constructed in 1874, it marks a sandy ridge known as Middle Ground Flats and also acts as a general aid to navigation of the river. The station is built on a granite caisson with an unusual shape designed to protect it from ice floes and river debris. The dwelling is constructed in the Second Empire architectural style,[2] with a mansard roof. It is considered to be virtually a twin of the Stepping Stones Light in Long Island Sound, which was constructed just a few years later.

History

The station's beacon was originally lighted by Henry D. Best, the station's first lightkeeper, on November 14, 1874.[3] It was upgraded to a fifth-order Fresnel lens in 1926, and the station was fully automated on November 10, 1949. In 1967, the Hudson River Valley Commission, led by Nelson A. Rockefeller, suggested that certain lighthouses owned by the United States Coast Guard be turned over to not-for-profit historical groups to ensure their preservation and upkeep. Hudson–Athens was the first station to be tried through such a program, and on February 15, 1984, a 20-year lease was signed between the Coast Guard and the Hudson–Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society (HALPS). In 2000, title to the station was turned over permanently to HALPS. Today, the Preservation Society conducts occasional tours of the station, which is being restored to its condition as it would have been in the 1930s.

The Lighthouse was documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) as survey number NY-6286. There are 9 architectural drawings available in the survey.[4]

The Hudson–Athens Lighthouse is shown on the NOAA Chart 12347.[5]

Chronology

Chronology from USCG web site

Cultural

The Archives Center at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History has a collection (#1055) of souvenir postcards of lighthouses and has digitized 272 of these and made them available online. These include postcards of Hudson–Athens Light[7] with links to customized nautical charts provided by National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

The Hudson–Athens Lighthouse is featured in the book Curious Constructions – A Peculiar Portfolio Of Fifty Fascinating Structures by Michael Hearst.[8]

The lighthouse can be briefly seen in the 1959 noir film, Odds Against Tomorrow.[9]

External links

Notes and References

  1. Web site: ARLHS World List of Lights . January 13, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110707162752/http://wlol.arlhs.com/lighthouse/USA391.html . July 7, 2011 . live.
  2. Book: Insiders' Guide to the Hudson River Valley . Sheila Buff . Globe Pequot . 2008 . 978-0-7627-4438-1 . 42 .
  3. Web site: Hudson (Hudson–Athens) Lighthouse, New York at Lighthousefriends.com . October 5, 2006 . https://web.archive.org/web/20061022194219/http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=677 . October 22, 2006 . live.
  4. Web site: Hudson-Athens Lighthouse (drawings) . Historic American Buildings Survey . Library of Congress . Washington, D.C. . March 9, 2014 . https://web.archive.org/web/20140310065346/http://www.loc.gov/pictures/search/?q=Drawing:%20ny1544&st=gallery . March 10, 2014 . live.
  5. Web site: NOAA Chart 12347 . January 30, 2009 . https://web.archive.org/web/20090106043749/http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/12347.shtml . January 6, 2009 . live.
  6. Web site: America's 11 Most Endangered Historic Places for 2024 . 2024-06-27 . National Trust for Historic Preservation . en-US.
  7. http://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/lighthouses/object.cfm?id=65 Smithsonian lighthouse postcards
  8. Book: Hearst, M. . Johnstone . M. . Curious Constructions: A Peculiar Portfolio of Fifty Fascinating Structures . Chronicle Books LLC . 2017 . 978-1-4521-6249-2 . May 17, 2019 . 38 . ... The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse has a twin—the Stepping Stones Lighthouse in Long Island Sound..
  9. Web site: Odds Against Tomorrow (1959) . NYC in Film . 9 January 2024 . en . 8 January 2024.