Early settlers were attracted by the bounteous annual runs of Lake Ontario Atlantic Salmon in the river at Selkirk, which led to naming the stream the Salmon River. While inspecting the river in the early 1830s for the potential construction of piers, a government engineer determined that the river mouth had sufficient depth and breadth for anchoring some thirty ships. This judgment prompted the Federal Government to purchase approximately 5,760 square feet of land from Sylvester and Daniel Brown on September 1, 1837 for the Port Ontario Lighthouse Reservation.

Lighthouse at mouth of Salmon River Photograph courtesy Library of Congress

Just a week or so after the land purchase, Jacob Gould, Superintendent of Lighthouses on Lake Ontario, publicized a detailed and lengthy call for bids for the construction of the lighthouse. The notice began, “Proposals will be received by me at Rochester until the 10th day of October next, for building a Dwelling and Beacon Light House on Lake Ontario, at the junction of the Salmon River with said Lake in the village of Port Ontario, in the county of Oswego, in said state, of the following description, viz: - The dwelling house to be of stone, 25 feet wide by thirty feet long from outside to outside. The outside walls to be eighteen inches thick, laid in good lime mortar, and pointed in good & workmanlike manner.”

The call for bids included the dimensions of the lumber and the weight of the copper sheets that were to be used in constructing the two-story lighthouse whose octagonal tower would extend sixteen feet above the walls of the dwelling. Each face of the octagonal lantern was to have eighteen 9” x 12” lights (panes), and separate proposals were solicited for eight lamps and reflectors to be used as the light source. In addition to the lighthouse, an outhouse with a stone sink was to be built, and all this work was to be accomplished, “in a faithful and workmanlike manner,” by August 1, 1838.

Local contractors, Joseph Gibbs and Abner French were awarded the contract for the lighthouse, but it was a local stonemason, Jabez Meacham, who actually did most of the work using stone from a nearby quarry. John Box, a local blacksmith, formed the wrought iron railings that encircle and support the birdcage lantern room. The total cost of the lighthouse was around $3,000.

Lewis Conant was the first keeper to tend the lantern’s array of eight lamps, which originally burned whale oil and were inaugurated in August of 1838. Conant would serve at Selkirk Lighthouse for over a decade before being succeeded by Lucius B. Cole in July of 1849. Charles M. Lewis became the third keeper of the lighthouse in October of 1854, and during his service the light source was upgraded to a 270° sixth-order Fresnel lens powered by a single Hains Mineral Oil fountain lamp. A. H. Weed assumed the responsibilities of keeper in March of 1857.

Shortly after the lighthouse was completed, two piers, with lengths of over a thousand feet, were constructed at the mouth of the Salmon River to improve the harbor. At this time, commerce in the harbor included 1.5 million feet of pine lumber, 5,000 bushels of potatoes, 200 tons of cheese, 50 tons of butter, and a significant amount of potash. Farming and lumbering were obviously important local industries as was boat building, with barges, schooner, and fishing boats having been constructed near the lighthouse.

Saugerties Lighthouse and Lighthouse Hotel

A canal was proposed for connecting the Salmon River to Lake Oneida and the Erie Canal. This would have linked Selkirk to several major markets, but the canal was never built and the dreams of Selkirk becoming a major port faded. As the importance of the harbor diminished, an official beacon was no longer justified, and the Selkirk Lighthouse was deactivated in 1858.

Though the early loss of the lighthouse was unfortunate for Selkirk, it was a blessing for lighthouse historians. Had the lighthouse remained active for just a few more years, its lantern room would most certainly have been upgraded to one with larger panes of glass and thinner sashes that blocked less of the light. Such upgrades were made at lighthouses throughout the country shortly after the use of Fresnel lenses was adopted in the United States. The Selkirk Lighthouse has one of the few surviving birdcage lantern rooms. In fact, the only other intact, historic one is at Prudence Island in Rhode Island. Baileys Harbor and Waugoshance Lighthouses both have the old style of lantern rooms, but they are badly corroded and no longer have intact glass and sashes.

After its deactivation, the lighthouse was reportedly used by the Lifesaving Service and then lived in by former keeper Lucius B. Cole until his passing in 1890. On October 16, 1895, Leopold Joh, a German émigré, purchased the lighthouse at auction from the government for $155. The lighthouse was first used as Joh’s private residence before it was incorporated into a hotel complex that Joh started to develop in 1899. While on an errand procuring refreshments for his guests, Joh died of a massive coronary on August 21, 1907. His family continued to operate the hotel until it was sold to the Heckle family in 1916.

In 1916, the Selkirk Lighthouse Hotel was doubled in size by the Heckles. Known for its German cuisine and fine fishing and beaches, the hotel attracted vacationers from Syracuse and as far away as New York City and Philadelphia.

Jim Walker fell in love with the lighthouse and adjoining marina during a visit in 1986 and persuaded a group of individuals to form a corporation, purchase the property in 1987, and allow him to manage the facility. Pestered by persistent requests, Walker eventually opened the lighthouse to overnight stays and afterward welcomed visitors from around 100 countries. The lighthouse has been used for weddings, honeymoons, family reunions, and, according to Walker, “the sublime and the ridiculous.”

Coinciding with the country’s Lighthouse bicentennial celebration in 1989, a Coast-Guard-approved solar light was installed in the historic lantern room, and on August 6th the Selkirk Lighthouse was reactivated as a Class II navigation aid. In 2003, the corporation decided to list the marina for sale, but due to its condition, the offers received were not as high as was hoped. Led by a new management group, the corporation has reopened the tackle shop, run city water to the rental cabins near the lighthouse, paved the parking lot, and improved the marina. Those returning to the lighthouse property will detect a noticeable change in the atmosphere and appearance of the physical structures at the marina.

Photo Gallery: 1 2 3 4

References

1. Selkirk Lighthouse website.
2. New York State Lighthouses, Robert G. Müller, 2005.