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Execution Rocks Light
Execution Rocks Light
Execution Rocks Light
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Execution Rocks Light is a lighthouse in the middle of Long Island Sound on the border between New Rochelle and Sands Point, New York.[2][3][4] It stands 55 feet (17 m) tall, with a white light flashing every 10 seconds. The granite tower is painted white with a brown band around the middle. It has an attached stone keeper's house which has not been inhabited since the light was automated in 1979.

Key Information

History

[edit]

This island on which this lighthouse sits is claimed to derive its name from colonial New York, when slaveowning settlers of Sands Point murdered enslaved people by chaining them to the rocks during low tide to let them drown; this tale is first recorded by Robert Caro in 1974.[5] A 1964 account in The Journal of Long Island History claims that in fact, murderers were manacled with chains to staples driven into the rock at low tide.[6] A more likely etymology is that the British Admiralty named them Executioner's Rocks because so many ships ran aground on the treacherous rocks.[7] References to "the Execution Rocks" in the Long Island Sound pre-date the American Revolution, existing as far back as 1766.[8]

On March 3, 1847, the United States Congress appropriated $25,000 for creation of Execution Rocks Lighthouse. Designed by Alexander Parris, construction was completed in 1849, although it was not lit until 1850. Over the years, it has survived both a fire and a shipwreck.

The island is under the authority of the United States Coast Guard and is off limits to the public. It can be seen, however, during the Long Island Lighthouse Society's Spring Cold Coast Cruise, and from the Throgs Neck Bridge.

A Daboll trumpet was added to Execution Rocks Light on Jan 25, 1869.[9]

Before being executed for murder, serial killer Carl Panzram claimed in a posthumous autobiography that in the summer of 1920 that he raped and killed a total of ten sailors and dumped their bodies at sea near Execution Rocks Light.

On November 25, 1958, Execution Rocks Light was the location of a pivotal scene in the first-season episode "The Bird Guard" of the television series Naked City.

On May 29, 2007, the Department of the Interior identified Execution Rocks Light Station as surplus under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000.

Designed and built (1848–49) by Alexander Parris. Six story 72 ft. tower has frustum shape. Cut granite masonry keeper's dwelling (1867–68) in Gothic Revival style with 2.5 floors, approx. 1000 SF. Early example of "wave swept tower" engineering. On protective rip-rap artificial island (approx. 0.3 acre) with small boat basin.

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and designated Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by American Society of Engineers. Property must be maintained according to the Secretary of Interior's Standards for Rehabilitation. Historic covenants will be incorporated into the Quitclaim Deed; however, no submerged land will be conveyed under the Quitclaim Deed.

The U.S. Coast Guard shall retain an easement for an Arc of Visibility and an unrestricted right of access in, to and across the Property to maintain, operate, service, repair and install equipment as necessary to support its aid to navigation mission. Additionally, the U.S. Coast Guard shall retain the unrestricted right to relocate or add any aids to navigation, or communications towers and equipment (along with necessary right of ingress/egress), or make any changes on any portion of the property as may be necessary for navigation/public safety purposes.[10]

It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2007 as Execution Rocks Light Station. On January 27, 2009, the Secretary of the Interior announced that Execution Rocks Light would be transferred to the Philadelphia-based Historically Significant Structures, which would partner with the Science Museum of Long Island to restore the light.[11]

Chronology

[edit]

A chronological history of the lighthouse from the Coast Guard:[3]

  • 1847, March: Congress appropriated $25,000 for the light to be built.
  • 1849, May: Construction was completed.
  • 1850: The lighthouse was first lit.
  • 1856: A fourth order Fresnel lens was installed.
  • 1868: The keeper's quarters were added. The keeper no longer had to live in the cramped space inside the tower.
  • December 8, 1918: A fire with an unknown origin caused $13,500 in damage. The engine house and machinery were destroyed, the tower and oil house were damaged and the windows, woodwork, gutters and eaves were also damaged.
  • December 5, 1979: The lighthouse was automated. A VEGA lantern replaced the Fresnel lens.
  • 2010: Historically Significant Structures Inc. is giving tower climb tours of the lighthouse in the summer.

References

[edit]
[edit]
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Execution Rocks Light

View on Grokipedia
from Grokipedia
Execution Rocks Light is a historic positioned on a man-made foundation atop hazardous submerged ledges in the central portion of , at the boundary between Westchester and Nassau counties in New York, roughly two miles offshore from New Rochelle. Constructed from cut granite between 1848 and 1849 to designs by architect Alexander Parris, following a $25,000 congressional appropriation in 1847, the structure features a tapered, six-story tower that was first lit in 1850 as an essential aid to navigation amid the reefs' persistent threat of shipwrecks. The site's name originates from a longstanding claiming British forces chained Revolutionary War prisoners to the rocks at low tide during the conflict, allowing the rising sea to drown them, though empirical records of such events remain unverified and the designation more directly reflects the navigational peril posed by the outcrops to vessels. Listed on the in 2007, the lighthouse endured a major fire in 1891 and a collision with a in 1918, yet continues to operate as an active, automated beacon under U.S. oversight since its automation in 1979.

Location and Physical Characteristics

Geographical Position

Execution Rocks Light is situated on a rocky in the northwestern portion of , marking the border between New Rochelle in , and Sands Point in . The structure occupies Execution Rocks Island, a small constructed on the natural reef approximately one mile north of Sands Point on the northern shore of . Its geographic coordinates are approximately 40°52′41″N 73°44′16″W. Positioned in the center of the shipping channel between the mainland and , the lighthouse stands about 1,400 feet offshore from Sands Point, providing a critical marker for vessels navigating the hazardous waters of the sound. The reef's protrusions into the waterway necessitated the light station to warn against collisions with the submerged rocks.

Architectural Features

The Execution Rocks Lighthouse features a conical tower designed by architect Alexander Parris and constructed between 1848 and 1849 on an formed by depositing stones around the natural Execution Rocks ledge in . The tower, built with cut and an interior lining, rises approximately 58 feet above the water, tapering from a base diameter of 26 feet to 13 feet at the lantern room, with a focal plane elevation of 62 feet above mean high water. Its foundation consists of dressed stone and timber to withstand wave exposure, and the exterior is painted white with a distinctive brown band added midway in for visibility. Attached to the tower via a short masonry passageway is a two-and-a-half-story keepers' dwelling, constructed in 1867-1868 using similar cut on a separate stone to mitigate structural . The dwelling exhibits Gothic Revival styling, including rusticated stonework, a pitched with three chimneys, and was rebuilt in part on its southwest wall in 1894 due to foundation issues from the site's harsh marine environment. Early construction challenges included water leakage in the tower, addressed in 1857 with protective reinforcements. The station's wave-swept design prioritizes durability, with the integrated tower and dwelling forming a compact complex elevated on the man-made island to guide vessels through the hazardous approach. Additional structures, such as a oil house added around 1910, supported operations but were later impacted by events like a 1918 fire that damaged ancillary buildings without compromising the core tower integrity.

Historical Origins

Etymology and Pre-Lighthouse Era

The name "Execution Rocks" likely originates from the site's longstanding reputation as a maritime hazard in , where numerous vessels were wrecked upon the submerged ledges, metaphorically "executed" by the rocks. This nautical interpretation aligns with early navigational charts, such as the 1806 American Coast Pilot, which described the area as treacherous for ships transiting between and the open Atlantic. An alternative, though less empirically supported, etymology stems from a Revolutionary War-era legend claiming British forces chained accused spies or criminals to the exposed rocks at low tide, allowing the rising waters to drown them and thereby avoiding public executions on shore that might incite colonial unrest. No primary historical records verify these alleged executions, rendering the account rather than documented fact, potentially embellished over time to dramatize the site's dangers. Prior to the lighthouse's construction in 1849, Execution Rocks posed a persistent threat to navigation due to its position amid strong tidal currents and shifting sands in the narrow passage east of Manhattan. Colonial and early federal maritime logs frequently noted strandings and losses there, with the U.S. Congress recognizing the peril by appropriating funds for marking the hazard as early as the 1830s, though initial efforts focused on buoys rather than permanent structures. The rocks' isolation—approximately 1.5 miles north of Sands Point, New York, and exposed to northeasterly gales—exacerbated risks for commercial traffic, including packet ships and fishing vessels, underscoring the empirical need for enhanced aids amid an era of expanding coastal trade. This pre-lighthouse period thus highlighted the site's causal role in maritime casualties, driven by geophysical features rather than human intent.

Construction and Initial Activation

approved funding for the construction of Execution Rocks Light on , 1847, allocating $25,000 to erect a permanent structure directly on the hazardous rocks in , deemed more cost-effective than maintaining a . The project addressed navigational dangers posed by the submerged ledges, which had caused multiple shipwrecks. Construction proceeded from 1847 to May 1849, involving the creation of a small platform using dressed stone and timber to support the foundation amid challenging tidal conditions. The resulting 58-foot tower, constructed primarily of , was painted white for visibility and topped with a lantern room housing initial lighting apparatus of fixed white argand lamps fueled by oil. The lighthouse received its initial activation in 1850, when the light was first exhibited to mariners, marking the station's operational debut under the stewardship of the United States Lighthouse Board. This activation provided a critical fixed white beacon visible for approximately 14 nautical miles, enhancing safe passage through the approach to .

Operational Development

Early Lighting Systems and Upgrades

The Execution Rocks Light was first illuminated in 1850 using a conventional system of argand lamps equipped with parabolic reflectors, providing a fixed white light to guide mariners through the hazardous reefs in . This initial setup relied on as fuel, typical of mid-19th-century American lighthouses, and offered limited range and efficiency compared to later optical technologies. In 1856, the lighting apparatus underwent a significant upgrade with the installation of a fourth-order in the lantern room, which concentrated the light into a more powerful beam using and reflection principles, thereby extending visibility and reducing fuel consumption. Concurrently, the light's characteristic was established as fixed white, aligning it with nearby aids for better differentiation. The , manufactured to precise specifications, marked a standard advancement in lighthouse optics, drawing on French engineering innovations adopted by the U.S. Lighthouse Service. Further refinements occurred in the late , including a characteristic change on May 31, 1892, when the fixed white was swapped with Sands Point Light to become an occulting white flashing every 30 seconds, enhancing navigational distinction in the congested approach. The system persisted with the , maintained by keepers who trimmed wicks and polished lenses nightly to sustain brightness, though no major source overhauls like are recorded until the late . These upgrades prioritized reliability amid the site's exposure to , ensuring the light's 15-nautical-mile range remained effective for commercial and fishing traffic.

Lighthouse Keepers and Maintenance Challenges

The lighthouse was initially staffed by a head keeper and one or more assistants who resided within the tower itself, as no separate quarters existed until 1868. Daniel H. Caulkins served as the first head keeper from 1850 to 1851, overseeing operations while also managing the nearby Sands Point Lighthouse with two assistants; subsequent keepers included William Craft from 1851 to 1852 and Joseph Brundage from 1855 to 1859. Living conditions were austere and cramped, with the tower's base prone to leaks that exacerbated discomfort during storms, compelling keepers to endure constant exposure to dampness and isolation on the exposed reef. In 1868, a dwelling was constructed on a stone adjacent to the tower, alleviating some hardships by providing dedicated living space, though access remained perilous due to tidal surges and rough seas that could strand supply boats or endanger personnel. Maintenance posed significant difficulties owing to the station's remote, wave-battered position in , where high winds, fog, and rapid tidal changes complicated routine inspections and repairs. Early structural issues included an unstable foundation and leaky tower, addressed in with a $5,250 appropriation to secure the base against erosion and wave action. By 1894, settlement in the keeper's dwelling necessitated rebuilding its southwest wall to prevent further deterioration from constant saltwater exposure and seismic-like shifts from storm surges. Keepers like Brundage demonstrated operational resilience in 1857 by rescuing an intoxicated mariner adrift in a small amid a , highlighting the dual roles of aid and emergency response in such isolated postings. Fires presented acute hazards, as seen on December 8, 1918, when an unknown ignition source destroyed the engine house and machinery, inflicting $13,500 in damages to the fog signal apparatus, tower, and oil house; keepers, including Peter Forget, battled the blaze with buckets until external aid arrived from shore. A subsequent incident on an unspecified date in 1921 involved an overheated exhaust pipe sparking a minor fire in the , causing smoke damage but contained through keepers' efforts, underscoring the vulnerabilities of oil-dependent systems in a saltwater environment prone to . Congress responded to the 1918 damage with a $10,000 allocation in July 1919 for rebuilding the engine house and repairing the dwelling, yet recurring exposure to elemental forces demanded vigilant upkeep, including painting and foundation reinforcement, as evidenced by Coast Guard keeper Stanley H. Fletcher's fall while painting the tower prior to his 1970 retirement. The station remained manned until automation on December 5, 1979, after which challenges shifted to infrequent visits for bulb replacements and structural checks amid deteriorating conditions like mold and peeling paint, with no permanent staff to mitigate ongoing tidal and weather-induced wear. These factors—combined with the physical toll of isolation, as keepers often served without fixed tenures and could request transfers at will—contributed to high turnover, with only one head keeper exceeding a decade in service.

Automation and Post-Manned Era

Execution Rocks Light was automated on December 5, 1979, eliminating the need for resident keepers and transitioning the station to fully unmanned operation. This upgrade replaced the historic fourth-order with a modern lantern, enhancing reliability while reducing maintenance demands associated with manual wick trimming and lens polishing. The aligned with broader U.S. efforts in the late to modernize aids to amid declining personnel costs and advancing electronic systems, though it ended a 130-year tradition of on-site oversight that had persisted since the light's in 1850. In the post-manned era, the lighthouse has operated remotely, with the conducting periodic inspections via boat or helicopter to ensure structural integrity and optic functionality against Long Island Sound's harsh weather. By 2002, it continued serving as an active aid to navigation, emitting a white flash every 10 seconds visible for up to 18 nautical miles, guiding vessels through the narrow approach. On February 23, 2007, the General Services Administration declared the property excess to federal needs, initiating transfer under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 to eligible nonprofits for stewardship. The Execution Rocks Lighthouse Preservation Society ultimately assumed custodianship, focusing on restoration of the keeper's quarters while preserving the automated light system; this has enabled limited public access, including overnight stays since 2014, without reinstating permanent residency. These developments reflect empirical efficiencies in —such as solar-powered backups integrated post-1979 to mitigate and power failures—but also highlight challenges like and , addressed through galvanized reinforcements and volunteer-led monitoring rather than daily human presence. The station's unmanned status has not diminished its navigational utility, as verified by Coast Guard logs showing consistent operational uptime, underscoring the causal effectiveness of remote over traditional manned protocols in isolated marine environments.

Technical and Navigational Role

Light Characteristics and Aids to Navigation

The Execution Rocks Light serves as an active aid to navigation, emitting a flashing white light every 10 seconds from a focal plane elevation of 62 feet (19 m) above mean high water. Its nominal range extends 15 nautical miles (28 km) in clear conditions, utilizing a modern VEGA lantern that replaced the original fourth-order Fresnel lens. The system operates on solar power, ensuring reliability without manned intervention following automation in 1979. Complementing the visual signal, the station includes a as an auditory aid, retained under U.S. easements for operational access and visibility arc. This combination warns mariners of the hazardous Execution Rocks reef in , where depths drop sharply amid strong currents and frequent fog. Historical upgrades, such as compressed-air sirens installed in 1904, evolved into the current automated horn, enhancing safety for vessels transiting between and the eastern Sound. No additional buoys or daymarks are directly associated with the station itself, with navigation relying primarily on the integrated light and sound signals.

Engineering and Structural Integrity

The Execution Rocks Lighthouse features a conical granite tower constructed between 1849 and 1850 on a foundation of dressed stone and timber embedded in the underlying rocky ledges of Long Island Sound. The tower rises 60 feet in height, with a focal plane elevation of 62 feet above mean high water, tapering from a base diameter of 26 feet to 13 feet at the lantern level to optimize resistance against wave forces and wind loads in the exposed maritime environment. Its interior includes a brick lining for added thermal and structural stability, a common engineering practice in mid-19th-century U.S. lighthouses to mitigate moisture ingress and enhance load-bearing capacity. Engineering challenges during construction stemmed from the site's treacherous underwater topography and strong tidal currents, necessitating specialized techniques to excavate and lay the foundation amid depths reaching 20 feet at . The masonry, sourced from local quarries and cut in blocks, was bonded with mortar to withstand saline corrosion and ice pressures prevalent in winters. No major foundational shifts or cracks have been documented in historical records, attesting to the robustness of the design, though periodic inspections by the U.S. Coast Guard have addressed minor erosion from wave action. A significant test of structural integrity occurred on December 8, 1918, when an unexplained fire inflicted $13,500 in damages, destroying the engine house and machinery while scorching the tower's exterior and oil house; repairs focused on restoring integrity without altering the core structure. Earlier, in 1867, allocated $19,000 for comprehensive renovations, including a new keeper's dwelling integrated into the complex to share load distribution and bolster overall station resilience against storms. Post-automation in 1965, the U.S. implemented epoxy-based crack repairs and measures on ferrous elements to preserve and stone elements, drawing from broader historic preservation protocols emphasizing empirical monitoring of material degradation. The tower's listing on the in 2007 underscores its enduring engineering soundness, with no evidence of catastrophic failure despite over 170 years of exposure to severe coastal conditions.

Cultural Significance and Preservation

Legends, Hauntings, and Empirical Scrutiny

The predominant legend surrounding Execution Rocks attributes its name to Revolutionary War-era executions, wherein British forces purportedly chained American prisoners or spies to the outcropping at low tide, allowing them to drown as the tide rose. This tale, repeated in local , extends to accounts of vengeful spirits of the drowned causing the wreck of a British troop ship pursuing in 1776, with ghostly figures allegedly luring sailors to doom. An alternative origin posits the name derives not from human executions but from the site's navigational peril, where hidden reefs "executed" unwary vessels through shipwrecks, a hazard documented in colonial maritime records predating the lighthouse's 1850 construction. Additional dark associations include claims by convicted , who in his 1928 jailhouse journal asserted he dumped multiple victims' bodies in waters near Execution Rocks during his 1920s crime spree in the New York area, confessing to at least 21 murders overall. Haunting reports emerged primarily post-automation in 1979, with overnight guests and paranormal enthusiasts describing disembodied screams, footsteps in empty quarters, and apparitions on the rocks, phenomena linked by some to the site's purported tortured history. These accounts, often shared via ghost tour operators and visitor testimonials, have drawn informal investigations, including electronic voice phenomena recordings purportedly capturing shrieks. Empirical examination reveals scant primary evidence for the execution ; no contemporaneous British dispatches, records, or archaeological remains corroborate chained drownings, suggesting apocryphal embellishment on the site's inherent dangers. Panzram's body-dumping assertions remain unverified, with no dredged remains or forensic ties confirmed by authorities despite his detailed but self-aggrandizing confessions. Haunting claims rely on subjective anecdotes, lacking controlled studies, reproducible data, or peer-reviewed validation; U.S. keeper Stanley Fletcher, who served until , explicitly dismissed ghostly activity after decades of solitary tenure, attributing noises to wind, waves, and structural settling. Absent instrumental evidence or falsifiable tests, such reports align with psychological factors like expectation bias in isolated, historically evocative settings rather than causal mechanisms.

Modern Restoration Efforts and Public Engagement

Execution Rocks Lighthouse was added to the in 2007, recognizing its historical significance as a structure built in 1849. On May 29, 2007, the U.S. Department of the Interior declared the light station surplus property under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, enabling transfer to qualified stewardship organizations for preservation. Historically Significant Structures, Inc., a nonprofit organization, was established to restore, renovate, preserve, and operate the lighthouse, treating it as a national heritage asset. The group secured a $600,000 matching grant from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation to fund restoration activities, including structural repairs and maintenance to combat deterioration from Long Island Sound's harsh marine environment. These efforts have focused on rehabilitating the 55-foot tower, keeper's dwelling, and associated outbuildings, with ongoing work emphasizing engineering integrity against weathering and erosion. Public engagement has been integral to sustaining these preservation initiatives, with the lighthouse opened to visitors following its unmanned status. Summer boat tours and overnight stays in the restored keeper's quarters are offered, priced at $300 per night per room, with proceeds directed as charitable contributions to the 501(c)(3) nonprofit for continued upkeep and operations. These experiences allow participants to explore the site's firsthand, including climbs to the lantern room, fostering educational outreach and generating revenue essential for long-term viability. Collaborative events, such as guided excursions organized by groups like the New York Adventure Club, further promote awareness and support fundraising drives.

References

  1. https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Land/Lighthouses-Light-Stations/Article/1915929/execution-rocks-light/
  2. https://www.nps.gov/maritime/nhlpa/noa/2007/ExecutionRocksNOAFactSheet.pdf
  3. https://www.nps.gov/maritime/inventories/lights/ny.htm
  4. https://www.cowneck.org/execution-rocks-lighthouse
  5. https://www.iloveny.com/listing/execution-rocks-lighthouse/15390/
  6. https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=749
  7. https://executionrocks.wordpress.com/
  8. https://mapcarta.com/22579212
  9. https://visitalltheplaces.wordpress.com/2019/06/25/how-to-visit-execution-rocks-lighthouse/
  10. https://www.usbeacons.com/lt.cgi?id=567
  11. https://www.historic-structures.com/ny/port_washington/execution_rocks_light_station.php
  12. https://www.history.uscg.mil/Browse-by-Topic/Assets/Land/All/Article/1915929/execution-rocks-light/
  13. https://archives.uslhs.org/places/execution-rocks
  14. https://www.scoutingny.com/a-trip-to-execution-rocks/
  15. https://www.onlyinyourstate.com/experiences/new-york/execution-rocks-ny
  16. https://www.us-lighthouses.com/execution-rocks-lighthouse
  17. https://www.nytimes.com/1918/12/09/archives/fire-damages-lighthouse-execution-rock-a-danger-spot-of-sound-now.html
  18. https://archives.uslhs.org/people/stanley-h-fletcher
  19. https://www.nps.gov/maritime/nhlpa/handbook/HistoricLighthousePreservationHandbook_13_Part4Concrete.pdf
  20. https://www.untappedcities.com/exploration-at-execution-rocks-lighthouse-in-long-island-sound-photos/
  21. https://nypost.com/2016/08/13/inside-this-beautiful-lighthouses-dark-murderous-history/
  22. https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/execution-rocks-a-dark-lighthouse/
  23. http://historicpelham.blogspot.com/2015/10/the-shrieking-ghosts-of-execution-rocks.html
  24. https://usghostadventures.com/haunted-stories/execution-rocks-a-dark-lighthouse
  25. https://executionrocks.wordpress.com/about-us/
  26. http://www.executionrockslh.org/
  27. https://executionrocks.wordpress.com/reservations/
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