In 1874, the last manned light station was established at “Bluff Point” on the western shore of Valcour Island, overlooking the site of the first naval engagement between the Americans and the British at the beginning of the Revolution of 1776. Mansard-roofed, the structure was the third Second Empire house with an integrated octagonal tower completed in three years. A fifth order Fresnel lens in the 35-foot tower resulted in a 95-foot focal plane with the light visible for 18 miles. It guided ships through the channel between the island and the shoals along the shore just south of Clinton Community College. In 1986, the Clinton County Historical Association was granted a conservation easement to preserve the lighthouse. It is the only Lake Champlain Lighthouse listed on the National Register of Historic Places, and the only one publicly owned and still used as a functioning aid to navigation. The red-roofed lighthouse, facing the Peru boat launch, may be easily viewed from Route 9 south of Plattsburgh, NY. The current optic is a 300 Fresnel type lens. The lighthouse is open to the public. (Description by George Clifford, ornament designed using a photo by Susan Clenney.)
$17.00
