Coney Island Light (also Nortons Point Light) is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

located in Sea Gate, on the west end of

Coney Island Coney Island is a neighborhood and entertainment area in the southwestern section of the New York City borough of Brooklyn. The neighborhood is bounded by Brighton Beach to its east, Lower New York Bay to the south and west, and Gravesend to ...

Brooklyn Brooklyn is a Boroughs of New York City, borough of New York City located at the westernmost end of Long Island in the New York (state), State of New York. Formerly an independent city, the borough is coextensive with Kings County, one of twelv ...

, in

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

, east of

New York Harbor New York Harbor is a bay that covers all of the Upper Bay. It is at the mouth of the Hudson River near the East River tidal estuary on the East Coast of the United States. New York Harbor is generally synonymous with Upper New York Bay, ...

's main channel. The lighthouse was first established in 1890. The current tower was first lit in 1920 and is still operational. It was automated in 1989. The foundation material is steel pile and the lighthouse is made out of steel. It is a skeletal white tower with black trim. The original lens was a fourth order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

put up in 1890. The most recent resident keeper was

Frank Schubert Frank Schubert (1915–2003) was the lighthouse keeper of the Coney Island Light for over 40 years. He was among the last civilian lighthouse keepers in the United States. Schubert began working for the United States Coast Guard in 1939. At t ...

(1915–2003), who was among the last civilian lighthouse keepers in the United States. Schubert worked for the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

since 1939, serving at Coney Island since 1960. The Long Island chapter of

Sons of the American Revolution The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR), formally the National Society of the Sons of the American Revolution (NSSAR), is a federally chartered patriotic organization. The National Society, a nonprofit corporation headquartered in Louisvi ...

has published a history of the light.Coney Island Lighthouse
Paumanok Alarm, Long Island Chapter Newsletter, Sept 2007

References

External links

* *
Coney Island Lighthouse web site
*
Coney Island Lighthouse Friends Coney Island July 2012
Lighthouses completed in 1890 Lighthouses completed in 1920 Lighthouses in New York City Coney Island Sea Gate, Brooklyn Transportation buildings and structures in Brooklyn Government buildings in Brooklyn 1890 establishments in New York (state) {{US-lighthouse-stub