Photo credit: www.cntraveler.com

The Enduring Legacy of Greens Ledge Lighthouse

Perched a mile off the coast of Rowayton, Connecticut, Greens Ledge Lighthouse stands as a sentinel amid the winds and waves. In this remote setting, I am joined only by the lively presence of Ollie and Olivia, the ospreys that return each spring. Their enthusiastic chirping serves as a reminder of the life that thrives around this historic landmark. Despite its isolated placement, the lighthouse is a comforting sight, reminiscent of my childhood.

For many years, the red and white beacon of Greens Ledge has been a constant in my memories, marking the Norwalk coastline. I fondly recall high school days spent fishing at the underwater shoal it signifies. As we drifted over those waters, we would jig for bass, waiting for the perfect catch. Long before those adventures, I penned a fictional tale about a girl who called this lighthouse home and sailed to school each day—a story my teacher believed to be true. Ironically, it wasn’t until now that I stepped inside the very place that inspired my early creativity.

In my youth, access to this government-owned property was restricted solely to Coast Guard personnel, fostering a deep-seated connection to the lighthouse despite my never having entered it. Many people living in coastal communities share this bond, as noted by James Hyland, president of the Lighthouse Preservation Society. He explains that lighthouses evoke a sense of safety and spirituality, akin to the reassurance felt by a child with a night light protecting them from darkness.

Greens Ledge Lighthouse is not only a historical monument but also an innovative structure. It operates off-grid, utilizing renewable solar and wind energy for its power needs. A desalinization system transforms seawater into freshwater, while Starlink provides internet access.

This lighthouse is unique as it offers visitors the chance to experience its storied past firsthand through overnight stays, with guests arriving and departing by boat. Out of the 1,500 lighthouses built across the United States, only 779 remain, with Greens Ledge being one of the 14 active lighthouses left in Connecticut. These coastal sentinels were constructed in various designs along both East and West Coasts, as well as in unexpected locations like the Great Lakes and even the narrow waterways of Manhattan’s Hudson River. Hyland emphasizes the altruistic nature of lighthouse construction, which has historically saved countless lives and made American shores among the safest globally.

Today, the light from Greens Ledge continues to guide mariners through potentially hazardous waters. A notable event occurred in 2017 when a fisherman found himself stranded in the water for 17 hours after his kayak capsized. During his desperate struggle, he spotted the lighthouse; it became his beacon of hope. “I knew dehydration and eventually hypothermia were setting in,” he recounted to CBS News. “So in that last hour and a half, I just put my head down and swam to the lighthouse. It was a matter of life and death.”

While lighthouses like Greens Ledge serve as vital navigational aids, their keepers often placed themselves in perilous situations to ensure the safety of sailors. The story of Leroy Loughborough, an Assistant Keeper at Greens Ledge in 1910, illustrates this sacrifice. Abandoned by his partner, he faced the daunting task of maintaining the light and its fog signals with limited resources. On one occasion, he battled through 72 hours of dense fog, only to have one engine fail. In the words of maritime historian Jeremy D’Entremont, “He struggled to repair the engine while the light extinguished. By the time help arrived, both he and his loyal dog were nearly unconscious.” Loughborough later remarked on his willingness to share his last biscuit with his canine companion, a testament to the deep bonds between lighthouse keepers and their duties.

Source
www.cntraveler.com