Mystic Seaport Light is a lighthouse at the south end of

Mystic Seaport Mystic Seaport Museum (founded as Marine Historical Association) is a maritime museum in Mystic, Connecticut, and the largest in the United States. Its site holds a collection of ships and boats and a re-creation of a 19th-century seaport vill ...

, upriver from Noank, Connecticut. It is a two-story white shingled structure topped with a glass-enclosed lantern, a replica of the 1901 Brant Point Light. The Mystic Seaport Light was designed by William F. Herman Jr. and constructed in 1966. It was formally dedicated on August 31, 1967, but it remained unlit due to navigational regulations imposed by 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 ...

. The Mystic Seaport light is now an active light, but not an official aid to navigation. The structure was used as an example of a lighthouse for Mystic Seaport visitors, but it was not part of an exhibit until a 2008 renovation. The interior of the lighthouse was equipped with five LCD televisions to display two short educational films that highlight the history and architectural diversity of American lighthouses.

Design and construction

The Mystic Seaport Light was designed by William F. Herman Jr. and constructed by Engineered Building in 1966. Funds for the project were donated by Mr. and Mrs. John P. Blair. Mr. Blair was a member of the Board of Trustees of the Marine Historical Association since 1963. The Marine Historical Association was the original name for the

Coast Guard Auxiliary The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary (USCGAUX, CGAux, or USCG Aux) is the uniformed, civilian volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard. Congress established the military organization, unit on 23 June 1939, as the United States Coa ...

members from Maine and Delaware donated $5,000 to build the keeper's cottage. The original artist's conception called for a generic lighthouse that was designed to be representative of all lighthouses, but the design was changed to a replica of the 1901 Brant Point Light located on Nantucket Island in

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

. It is a two-story white shingled structure topped with a glass-enclosed lantern standing at the tip of Shipyard Point. The light measures by by . The lighthouse houses 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 ...

. The design of the keeper's house did not change much from the original artist's conception, though Tim Harrison notes that "it does not resemble a typical lighthouse keeper's house." The dedication of the lighthouse was held on August 31, 1967, which was described as "another quiet but proud ceremony" by Mystic Seaport. Care and maintenance of the lighthouse is performed by the Mystic Seaport.

Operational requirements

The Mystic Seaport Light is subject to

regulations to become operational because it is a full-sized replica of a lighthouse; requirements include supervisory schedules and installation of an emergency backup light. This was not a financial priority for Mystic Seaport in 1967 and it was not made a fully functional lighthouse. In 1979, Brierley noted that the present use of the lighthouse remained as "an example of a lighthouse used as a navigational aid." It was used as the starting mark for the Mystic River Day seine boat race in 1981. It became active in 2014, using a fourth order Fresnel lens on loan from the Coast Guard, but it is not an official aid to navigation.

Design renovation

In late 2007, the Mystic Seaport asked Oudens Ello Architecture of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

to develop a design proposal for the light. Oudens Ello Architecture developed a "multilayered system of open wood slats and sound absorptive material creating an interior environment evocative of a Nantucket basket." The task called for an "audio-visual display in a single, conical room of little more than 100 square feet." The renovated exhibit was also made wheelchair accessible via a ramp.

Sentinels of the Sea

In July 2008, the Mystic Seaport Light became part of the visitor experience when the interior was opened as part of the "Sentinels of the Sea" exhibit. The exhibit displays two short educational films, ''The Heyday of Lighthouses'' and ''How to Look at a Lighthouse'', on five

LCD A liquid-crystal display (LCD) is a flat-panel display or other electronically modulated optical device that uses the light-modulating properties of liquid crystals combined with polarizers to display information. Liquid crystals do not em ...

screens. The two films highlight the history and architectural diversity of American lighthouses.

References

External links