Old Fort Niagara Lighthouse

Near the mouth of the Niagara River stood the earliest lighthouse on the Great Lakes, beginning in 1781 as a whale oil lantern room on the roof of the French Castle inside Old Fort Niagara. In 1789 lighthouses became a federal responsibility, and in 1823 a light was erected atop the French Castle. After the establishment of the Lighthouse Board in 1850, upgrades began, and in 1871 the existing stone lighthouse was built outside the fort's walls, with the lens moved from the castle to the tower in 1872. In 1900 a watchroom was added, extending the tower, and in 1993 the lighthouse was deactivated. The tower was built with a massive concrete foundation, a tapered form for stability, a rubble and mortar wall core, a brick interior wall, a dressed limestone exterior from the Niagara region, a spiral stair of 72 cast iron steps, windows lighting the stairwell, a watchroom with windows for observing activity on the water, and a lantern room with a catwalk, lens and lantern, and vent ball.

Porter, New York · United States