| Windmill Point, VT | |
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Description:
On a small peninsula on the eastern shore of Lake Champlain near Alburgh, Vermont, stands the stately Windmill Point Lighthouse. At this peaceful setting, just two miles south of the Canadian border, the waters gently lap against the shore.
A private light was established at the point in 1830. The government stepped in to establish an official light in 1858. Contractors Ellis and O'Neil of Malone and Champlain, NY constructed a 44-foot octagonal tower using rough-hewn blue limestone from the quarry of Ira Hill on Isle La Motte. A sister to Point Au Roche Lighthouse and the original Crown Point Lighthouse, the Windmill Point Lighthouse was equipped with a sixth-order Fresnel lens, which shone a fixed white light at a focal plane of 52 feet, making it visible for thirteen miles. A passageway connects the tower to the Cape Cod style keeper’s quarter, made of rubble stone. The Windmill Point Lighthouse is the northernmost of the Lake Champlain Lighthouses. By drawing a line between the light at Windmill Point and the light at Isle La Motte, a mariner could guide his vessel through a clear channel in the upper narrows of the lake, avoiding numerous reefs and rocks.
The Windmill Point lighthouse was subsequently sold to the public and eventually purchased by Lockwood "Lucky" Clark in 1963, after he stumbled into the owner while walking on the point with his bride-to-be. At that time, it was just another house. The modern enthusiasm for lighthouses was still years away. Although the Clarks had informal exchanges with the Coast Guard, they had never suggested moving the light back into the tower. Then, during the summer of 2001, a Coast Guardsman visited the lighthouse, and the idea of restoring the light to the tower was born. For nostalgic and historical reasons, the return of the light to the tower is important, but it will also save the Coast Guard money. Tens of thousands of dollars would be required to replace or refurbish the skeleton tower, while moving the light would cost just a few thousand dollars. Maintenance costs are also reduced as the owners are responsible for maintaining the tower. Lucky and his son Rob spent many hours readying the lighthouse to receive the modern optic. Then, on August 7, 2002, National Lighthouse Day, the Windmill Point Lighthouse was returned to service after seventy-plus years of darkness. The relighting was the first on Lake Champlain. Shortly thereafter, the light was also returned to the tower at Isle La Motte. Similar relightings have since occurred at several other lighthouses on the lake. References
Purchase prints and gifts featuring photographs on this page Location: Located near the northern end of Lake Champlain, across from Rouses Point, New York. Latitude: 44.98182 Longitude: -73.34184 For a larger map of Windmill Point Lighthouse, click the lighthouse in the above map or get a map from: Mapquest. Travel Instructions: From Highway 2 on the east side of the bridge at the northern end of Lake Champlain, Windmill Point Road leads to the lighthouse. As the right-of-way to the lighthouse is currently being contested in the courts by the owners of the lighthouse and nearby residents, people are discouraged from trying to drive to the lighthouse. Views of the lighthouse from the New York Shore are also possible. From Highway 9 just south of Rouses Point, turn east onto Stony Point Road. Near the end of the road you will find a breakwater, which affords fair views of the lighthouse. The lighthouse is privately owned. Grounds/dwelling/tower closed. Find the closest hotels to Windmill Point Lighthouse See our List of Lighthouses in Vermont |
Pictures on this page copyright Kraig Anderson, used by permission.