This year we proudly celebrate the Fire Island Lighthouse on its 150th birthday. For many years European travelers who crossed the Atlantic Ocean on their journey to America saw the beacon of light from the Fire Island Lighthouse as the first evidence of this land. The current lighthouse was completed in 1858 replacing the original 1826 structure and the keeper’s quarters were constructed in 1859. The light in the new lighthouse was lit for the first time on November 1, 1858. The original light was a First Order Fresnel lens. It was replaced in 1933 by a lens from the decommissioned Shinnecock Lighthouse and was converted to electric power 6 years later.

In 1973 the Fire Island Lighthouse was decommissioned. A flashing strobe light was placed on a nearby water tower. The lighthouse remained inactive for the next 8 years. It slowly fell into disrepair. By 1981 the lighthouse was declared unsafe and not worth repairing. It was scheduled to be torn down.

The Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed in 1982 to save the lighthouse from being demolished. The society raised 1.2 million dollars to restore the Fire Island Lighthouse. A new automated light giving the appearance of a flash every 7.5 seconds was placed in the lantern room and was lit on May 25, 1986. It shines 168 feet above sea level and can be seen more than 20 miles away. The keeper’s house was turned into a museum and the landmark preserved.

In 2007 original First Order Fresnel lens was returned to the Fire Island National Seashore. The National Park Service and the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society are working together on plans to construct a new building to display it.

Today the lighthouse is used as an active aid to navigation. It has been restored and is open to the public for tours and special events.

-A. Bennett, Local History Newsletter, October  2008