Skip to main content

Cedar Island Lighthouse - Sag Harbor, New York

Image
By

 


On an island filled with beaches and lighthouses, the Cedar Island Lighthouse near Sag Harbor in the Hamptons may be one of the more unique and historic lighthouses on Long Island. While it doesn't have the cachet of the more famous Montauk Point Lighthouse, a lighthouse at Cedar Island has been very instrumental in helping guide whaling ships and other mariners going to and from the port at Sag Harbor since 1839. The current lighthouse at Cedar Island with its granite exterior was constructed in 1868 and decommissioned in 1934. As a result the Hurricane of 1938, a sandbar formed and the three acre island was now connected to Long Island by a narrow spit of land. In 1967, the Suffolk County Parks Department purchased both the lighthouse and the surrounding land, making it part of the 605 acre Cedar Point County Park.

The Cedar Island Lighthouse has had its fair share of interesting stories and tragedies throughout the years. One interesting story involved a Cedar Island Lighthouse keeper in the late 19th Century, a gentleman by the name of Charles Mulford. He donned a peg leg after losing his leg in the Civil War and rumors persisted that he had bought up all the prosthetic limbs in the area and kept them squirreled them away in the lighthouse. The rumors had ignited after a fire at the lighthouse allegedly revealed a room full of charred peg legs. In 1974, a devastating fire totally destroyed the interior of the lighthouse, which at that time the building was sealed and boarded up. Fortunately, the granite that makes up the exterior of the lighthouse held up.

However, new life has been breathed into the Cedar Island Lighthouse. The lighthouse was designated on the the National Register of Historic Places in 2002. A hiking trail loop from the parking area, along the beach and around the lighthouse has been designated, making it one of the more interesting and unique places to take a hike on Long Island and in New York State in general. Restoration efforts are underway between Suffolk County Parks and the Long Island chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society to renovate the lighthouse and to operate the lighthouse as a bed and breakfast once the restoration efforts have been completed. Some of the work has begun, as the light beacon was removed from the lighthouse and is being restored in nearby Sag Harbor. $500,000 in funds have been appropriated by the Suffolk County Legislature to restore the lighthouse and major renovation work is scheduled to start in 2018.

Until then, enjoy visiting the lighthouse and make this nice stroll down the beach to see the Cedar Island Lighthouse. The hiking loop is estimated to be about 5.5 miles in length, but there are shortcuts in order to make the overall distance shorter if you do not wish to walk the entire length of the loop. Views of Gardiners Bay and nearby Shelter Island can also be seen from the shoreline.

After a quick walk in the woods, we have made it to beach terrain. Fortunately, it was a nice 60 degree day over Thanksgiving weekend.

Some sweeping curves along the shore.

Boaters at Cedar Point County Park.

Seriously, a very nice stroll along the beach.
And many shells to be seen as well.

Some fencing in the distance to combat erosion.

The trail continues.

And it looks like I have some company.
A downed tree along the beach. It is possible that it may have washed up here.

I think that I spot the lighthouse in the far distance.


A grove of trees.
The Cedar Island Lighthouse and the modern light tower in the distance.


A nice stroll down a sandy beach has been us to where the trail turns, after the modern light tower.

The lighthouse and the small oil house next to the lighthouse. The lantern room has been temporarily removed from the lighthouse while it is being restored.


It is a long way back to the start of the trail from here.


Shelter Island and Gardiners Bay in view, along with a friendly boater.


A lonely tree.

The trail back to the parking lot goes along the Gardiners Bay shore.

One last view of the Cedar Island Lighthouse.

Sources and Links:
Suffolk County Parks - Cedar Point County Park
Lighthouse Friends - Cedar Island Lighthouse
Cedar Island Lighthouse - Cedar Island Lighthouse History
Cedar Island Lighthouse - Cedar Island Lighthouse Restoration Progress
East Hampton Patch - Historic Cedar Point Lighthouse To See Facelift, New Life As B&B
OffMetro - 10 Best Hiking Places on Long Island
AllTrails - Cedar Point Lighthouse Loop Trail

How to Get There:




Update Log:
March 2, 2018 - Posted original article to Unlocking New York.
September 11, 2021 - Transferred article from Unlocking New York to Gribblenation.
Labels:
Location: 5 Cedar Point Rd, East Hampton, NY 11937, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Hawaii Route 8930

By
Hawaii Route 8930 is a 2.5-mile State Highway on the Island of O'hau.  Hawaii Route 8930 is aligned over Kualakai Parkway over the course of its entire alignment south from Interstate H-1 to Kapolei Parkway.  Hawaii Route 8930 is one of the newest Hawaii Routes only having been completed during 2010.   This page is part of the Gribblenation O'ahu Highways page.  All Gribblenation and Roadwaywiz media related to the highway system of O'ahu can be found at the link below: https://www.gribblenation.org/p/gribblenation-oahu-highways-page.html Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 8930 The history of Hawaii Route 8930 is brief given it is a modern facility.  Hawaii Route 8930 and what was known as "North-South Road" were built to facilitate the developing areas of Kapolei on western O'ahu.  According to hawaiihighways.com the first stage of Hawaii Route 8930 was completed from Kapolei Parkway north to Farrington Highway as a four-lane highway during November...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 60/70 through Hell (Chuckwall Valley Road and Ragsdale Road)

By
Back in 2016 I explored some of the derelict roadways of the Sonoran Desert of Riverside County which were part of US Route 60/70; Chuckwalla Valley Road and Ragsdale Road. US 60 and US 70 were not part of the original run of US Routes in California.  According to USends.com US 60 was extended into California by 1932.  US 60 doesn't appear on the California State Highway Map until the 1934 edition. USends.com on US 60 endpoints 1934 State Highway Map Conversely US 70 was extended into California by 1934, it first appears on the 1936 State Highway Map. USends.com on US 70 endpoints 1936 State Highway Map When US 60 and US 70 were extended into California they both utilized what was Legislative Route Number 64 from the Arizona State Line west to Coachella Valley.  LRN 64 was part of the 1919 Third State Highway Bond Act routes.  The original definition of LRN 64 routed between Mecca in Blythe and wasn't extended to the Arizona State Line until 1931 acc...
3 comments
Read more

Paper Highways; Interstate H-4 through downtown Honolulu

By
The Hawaiian Island of O'ahu is home to four Interstate Highways; H-1, H-2, H-3 and H-201.  Had history gone slightly differently during the 1960s a fifth Interstate corridor on O'ahu could have been constructed through downtown Honolulu and the neighborhood of Waikiki.  The proposed corridor of Interstate H-4 can be seen above as it was presented by the Hawaii Department of Transportation during October 1968 .   This page is part of the Gribblenation O'ahu Highways page.  All Gribblenation and Roadwaywiz media related to the highway system of O'ahu can be found at the link below: https://www.gribblenation.org/p/gribblenation-oahu-highways-page.html The history of proposed Interstate H-4 The corridor of Interstate H-4 was conceived as largely following what is now Hawaii Route 92 on Nimitz Highway and Ala Moana Boulevard.   Prior to the Statehood the first signed highways within Hawaii Territory came into existence during World War II.    Dur...
Post a Comment
Read more