Fort Tompkins NY Lighthouse by Harbour Lights

H A R B O U R L I G H T S . C O M

H

arbour Lights Lighthouses

HarbourLights.com

>Catalog Index >2002 >Fort Tompkins New York

2002 by State:
California
Battery Point 278
Florida
Old St. Augustine 275
St. Augustine ORN 715
Georgia
Tybee ORN 715
Hawaii
Kilauea OE 437
Indiana
Old Mich. City ORN 715
Maine
Boon Island 273
Cape Elizabeth ORN 715
Hendricks Head 274
Maryland
Drum Point OE 440
Turkey Point 279
Massachusetts
Clark's Point 284
Highland OE 439
Minot's Ledge SE 646
Monomoy Point 269
Michigan
Rock of Ages 271
Point Iroquois 270
Missouri
Mark Twain 654
New Jersey
Absecon 277
Tuckers Island 276
New York
Coney Island ORN 540
Crossover Island 714
Ft Tompkins Spring 652
Ft Tompkins Summer 655
Ft Tompkins Fall 656
Ft Tompkins Winter 657
Race Rock 272
Statue Liberty OE 438
North Carolina
Bald Head OE 442
Cape Hatteras OE 401R
Cape Lookout OE 441
Hatteras Beacon 537
Roanoke River 538
Rhode Island
Bullock Point 280
South Carolina
Cape Romain 283
Virginia
Wolf Trap 282

Fresnel Lenses
Three & One Half 650
Third Order Beehive 651
Fourth Order 658

USCG Ships
Utility Boat 112
Life Boat 44' 113 Rev
Rigid Hull 114

Fort Tompkins New York
Spring, Summer, Fall, & Winter
Harbour Lights #652, 655, 656, 657
RETIRED

A noble, Victorian sentinel once stood among the battle-torn fields of Fort Tompkins, on Staten Island in New York. Looking completely out of place next to a military stronghold, Fort Tompkins’ stark black and white color scheme and striking architecture would have been better suited for an aristocrat’s home. But mariners from that time would argue that Fort
Tompkins was a welcome sight amid the artillery and cannons. This lighthouse saved lives. Her old-world charm and Mansard roof brings forth images of the nineteenth century. One could imagine visitors dress in Edwardian fashion, with their corsets and gowns, arriving for afternoon tea.

But the lighthouse at Fort Tompkins served a more utilitarian purpose.

Established in 1828, high on a bluff, Fort Tompkins guided vessels approaching Staten Island. At one time, a fourth-order lens cast its light from the lantern room. Lightkeepers assigned to the station would go into New York for supplies, but always returned before nightfall to light the beacon. This sentinel was so near civilization and so close to Fort Tompkins, the Lightkeepers were never required to keep journals or note the passing of ships. Because of this, events at Fort Tompkins

Lighthouse were not well documented and its history forgotten. But the Lighthouse Board always kept records, preserving at least a timeline of the life of Fort Tompkins Lighthouse. Archives from the Lighthouse Board describe the precarious location that the lighthouse stood on. Experiments in explosions and artillery fire caused the glass in the lantern room to break. On more than one occasion, the sentinel became an unwitting target. So in 1871, the lighthouse was moved. But the very move that was intended to save the lighthouse doomed its fate.

Although the building was now out of the battery range, it was too far from the water’s edge. A recommendation was made to transfer the lighthouse’s duties to the Fort Wadsworth Light, advice that was heeded in 1903. The Fort Tompkins Light disappeared forever soon thereafter.

Spring at Fort Tompkins

As the cold winter winds fade and the blooms of spring grow, Fort Tompkins comes alive in the warmth of the early season sun. Clothes were hung in the fresh spring air to dry. The grass would need mowing every Sunday. Fresh flowers would adorn the foyer, the kitchen and the lady’s vanity. Springtime would bring new life to Fort Tompkins, if she were still here today. Now, one could only imagine.

HL#	Name	MSRP	Introduced	Retired	Edition
HL652	Fort Tompkins NY (Spring)	$59	Jan 02	12/31/02	TBD
HL655	Fort Tompkins NY (Summer)	$59	Jan 02	12/31/02	TBD
HL656	Fort Tompkins NY (Fall)	$59	Jan 02	12/31/02	TBD
HL657	Fort Tompkins NY (Winter)	$59	Jan 02	12/31/02	TBD

Event Exclusives for 2002. Four different events were held, each featured one of the four versions of Fort Tompkins. Click on the thumbnail images above to view larger images in a new window.
.