Barcelona Light, also called Portland Harbor Light, was established above Barcelona Harbor on Lake Erie in Westfield, New York, in 1829. Built of fieldstone with a conical tower and attached keeper’s dwelling, it became notable as the first lighthouse in the world powered by natural gas, drawn from a nearby burning spring and piped to the tower. Congress funded the project in 1828, and Joshua Lane became the first keeper in 1829. Although the gas system was an ambitious early experiment, service proved unreliable and oil was later substituted. The light was discontinued in 1859, but the structure remains an important survivor of early Great Lakes lighthouse history.

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Westfield, New York · USA