| Cape Vincent Breakwater, NY | |
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Description:
On August 31, 1901 two fixed red lights were established on the completed portion of the breakwater being built in the Saint Lawrence River to protect the harbor at Cape Vincent and provide a refuge for vessels. These temporary beacons were lens lanterns set upon masts that protruded from a small house.
According to the 1907 Annual Report of the Lighthouse Board, the eastern beacon was moved 500 feet towards the easterly end of that recently completed section of the breakwater. A lifeline made of 7/8th-inch cable and supported by two-inch wrought-iron pipe posts spaced ten feet apart was installed on the eastern end of the breakwater to be used by the keeper in times of storm. John LaRoque was serving as keeper of the Cape Vincent Breakwater Lights in 1904 when a case was brought against him by James Stratford, a blacksmith in Cape Vincent, “to recover damages for the alleged alienations of the affections of the plaintiff’s wife,” who at the time of the complaint was living out of town with her mother. No outcome of the case was found in subsequent editions of the newspaper that carried the article announcing the claim. Eventually, the temporary breakwater lights were replaced by squat white towers topped by octagonal lantern rooms in which fifth-order Fresnel lenses were installed. The one surviving tower was removed from the breakwater to its current location in 1951. References
Location:
Located on the west side of Market Street (Route 12E) in Cape Vincent.
The lighthouse is owned by the Village of Cape Vincent. Grounds open, tower closed. |
Pictures on this page copyright Kraig Anderson, used by permission.