Skip to main content

Tibbetts Point Lighthouse - Cape Vincent, New York

Image
By

 


Marking the point where Lake Ontario meets the St. Lawrence River in Cape Vincent, New York, you will find the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse. The Tibbetts Point Lighthouse has been guiding ships through this passageway on the border between New York State and Ontario for centuries. Initially built in 1827, it was Captain John Tibbetts of Troy, New York who had deeded 3 acres to the United States government and a lighthouse was then constructed on the land. In 1854, the original lighthouse tower was replaced with the present day lighthouse that we have today. It was at the time the first Fresnel lens was installed at the lighthouse, and that lens is used at the lighthouse even today. In 1896, a fog whistle was added, which ramped up necessary safety to boaters and ships at this point where lake meets river. After lighthouse keepers are replaced by the United States Coast Guard, the lighthouse was operated by Coast Guard personnel from 1939 to 1981, when the lighthouse became automated.

Nowadays, the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse is open to the public seasonally, from Memorial Day through Columbus Day. While the lighthouse tower itself is only open for tours for pre-registered groups, you can walk around the grounds to see the lighthouse, the fog signal building, and even spend the night in the lighthouse keeper's quarters, as the house is open as a hostel. I've made a few visits to this spot in Cape Vincent where the land ends and am in awe of my surroundings with each visit.

Driving up to see the lighthouse. You will follow a road that hugs the St. Lawrence River on your way, and if you are lucky, you may even see a ship or two.

Fog signal building.

Misspelled historical marker.

The beginning of the St. Lawrence River. You will be able to see Wolfe Island in Ontario pretty easily.

Light keeper's house.

A placard showing the view from the top of the Tibbetts Point Lighthouse. Unfortunately, I have not been able to go to the top of the tower yet.

A brief history of the lighthouse.

Lighthouse tower and the fog signal building.

Light keeper's house.


Lake Ontario.





How to Get There:


Sources and Links:
Cape Vincent Chamber of Commerce - Tibbetts Point Lighthouse
Lighthouse Friends - Tibbetts Point Lighthouse
Visit 1000 Islands - Tibbetts Point Lighthouse



Update Log:
March 7, 2019 - Posted original article to Unlocking New York.
September 10, 2021 - Transferred article from Unlocking New York to Gribblenation.
Labels:
Location: 33435 County Rd 6, Cape Vincent, NY 13618, USA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

By
The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...
3 comments
Read more

Ghost Town Tuesday; Nichols, FL

By
A couple years ago I spent a lot of spare time exploring phosphate mining ghost towns in the Bone Valley of Polk County, Florida.  One ghost town in particular called Nichols on Polk County Route 676 west of Mulberry caught my eye due to a relative lack of documentation on ghosttowns.com. Nichols was created in 1905 during the early phosphate mining boom in the Bone Valley region.  For the time Nichols was unusual since it had company housing in the Nichols Mine site and private residences outside the gate.  Nichols is only about two miles west of Mulberry which probably made it a somewhat reasonable commute even by the wonky standards of the early 20th Century.  Most of the Bone Valley region was relatively remote which made commuting or homesteading impractical which is why there are so many ghost towns in the area.  The company housing section of Nichols was phased out and abandoned by 1950. The Nichols town site is largely abandoned and could "possibl...
4 comments
Read more

Hawaii Route 50

By
Hawaii Route 50 is the longest Sign Route on the island of Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The entirety of Hawaii Route 50 is overlaid atop Kaumualii Highway from Lihue west to the Pacific Missile Range Facility at Barking Sands. Hawaii Route 50 is one of the original 1955-era State Highway designations on Kauai.  Much of the Kaumualii Highway corridor was constructed during the sugar plantation boom of the late Hawaiian Kingdom.  The first tee beam bridge in Hawaii would be constructed along the Kaumualii Highway in 1911 at the Hanapepe.  Much of this highway would be modernized to two-lane standards through the 1930s and 1940s. This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking  here .  Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 50 and Kaumualii Highway Hawaii Route 50 is the longest highway on Kauai at 32.6 miles.  The highway begins at Rice Str...
Post a Comment
Read more