Race Rock Light

Race Rock Light was built on a dangerous reef in Long Island Sound at the mouth of the Race, where powerful tidal currents had made navigation perilous and cost multiple vessels by 1837. After Congress funded the project in 1838, construction was delayed for decades because the exposed, underwater site was so difficult to build on. Work finally began in 1871, requiring a massive granite and concrete foundation before the lighthouse itself could be finished in 1878. Designed by Francis Hopkinson Smith, the station remains a working aid to navigation and a notable example of ambitious offshore lighthouse engineering.

Southold, New York · United States