- New London Ledge Light
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New London Ledge Light 
Location Groton, Connecticut Coordinates 41°18′22″N 72°04′38″W / 41.306121°N 72.077286°W Year first constructed 1909 Year first lit 1909 Automated 1987 Foundation Concrete pier Construction Granite and Brick Tower shape Small cylindrical tower on 3-story dwelling Height 58 ft (18 m) Original lens Fourth order Fresnel lens Current lens Solar powered 190 MM lens Characteristic three white flashes separated by 5 s, 10 s off, red flash, 10 s off New London Ledge Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Connecticut, United States, on the Thames River, at the mouth of New London Harbor in Groton, Connecticut
Contents
History
Postcard, about 1910
New London Ledge Lighthouse was built in 1909 on the Southwest Ledge. It was originally called the Southwest Ledge light, but it was felt this could be confused with another lighthouse in New Haven, the Southwest Ledge Light, so in 1910 the lighthouse was renamed to New London Ledge Light. The United States Coast Guard took over in 1939 upon its merger with the Lighthouse Service and the light was automated in 1987. The original fourth order Fresnel lens was removed and was later put on display in the Custom House Maritime Museum. In 1990 the light was added to the National Register of Historic Places.
"Ernie"
One room in the lighthouse is being left in ruined condition, while the rest is being restoredNew London Ledge is locally famous for the ghost of an early keeper, nicknamed "Ernie," who allegedly haunts the lighthouse. The Coast Guard crew on duty at the lighthouse, not automated until 1987, reported unexplained knockings taking place at night, as well as doors opening and closing repeatedly, the television turning on and off by itself sporadically, and the unexplained removal of sheets from beds.[1]
In the crew's log, on the last night before the automated light system was installed, the unknown author, a Coast Guard officer, wrote the following: "Rock of slow torture. Ernie's domain. Hell on earth – may New London Ledge’s light shine on forever because I’m through. I will watch it from afar while drinking a brew." [1]
In the late 1990s, a television reporter from Japan spent a night inside the lighthouse to investigate the story of Ernie, and loud whispering noises—audible on-camera—were heard throughout the night, as seen in an episode of ABC Family's Scariest Places On Earth. Ledge Light was also investigated by members of The Atlantic Paranormal Society, or TAPS, in a 2005 episode of the show Ghost Hunters. Following the investigation, TAPS announced that a few unexplained phenomena, such as cold spots, were detected at the lighthouse. However, they concluded that there not enough evidence to determine any paranormal activity taking place there.[2]
See also
References
- ^ a b New London Ledge Lighthouse, Connecticut at Lighthousefriends.com
- ^ TAPS "The Ledge Lighthouse". Ghost Hunters, Sci Fi Channel.
External links
- New London Ledge Lighthouse, Long Island Sound, East of main harbor channel, New London, New London County, CT: 12 photos and 9 data pages, at Historic American Engineering Record
Lighthouses of Connecticut Avery Point Light • Black Rock Harbor Light • Bridgeport Harbor Light • Falkner Island Light • Five Mile Point Light • Great Captain Island Light • Greens Ledge Light • Lynde Point Light • Morgan Point Light • Mystic Seaport Light • New London Harbor Light • New London Ledge Light • Pecks Ledge Light • Penfield Reef Light • Saybrook Breakwater Light • Southwest Ledge Light • Stamford Harbor Ledge Light • Stonington Harbor Light • Stratford Point Light • Stratford Shoal Light • Tongue Point Light
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Category:National Register of Historic Places • 
Portal:National Register of Historic PlacesCategories:- Long Island Sound
- Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Connecticut
- Visitor attractions in New London County, Connecticut
- Transportation in New London County, Connecticut
- Reportedly haunted locations in the United States
- Buildings and structures in New London County, Connecticut
- Buildings and structures completed in 1909
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