The keeper who sailed 12 miles for supplies

In 1916, the keeper at Plum Island Light, William Chapel, was informed that purchasing supplies at Fort Terry was no longer allowed. The keeper had to sail over a mile to Orient, or 12 miles to New London, to purchase supplies. The United States Coast Guard took over lighthouse duties in 1939. In 1978, the lighthouse was automated, and Coast-Guard-employed keepers were removed.

Before the current 55-foot-tall granite lighthouse was completed in 1869, a 35-foot-high stone tower was constructed in 1827 to support the first light. That first light consisted of ten whale oil lamps with reflectors. By the late 1860s, the lighthouse had fallen into disrepair. A new 55-foot-tall granite lighthouse building was completed and in service by 1869. The 1869 structure shares a design with lighthouses at Sheffield Island, Morgan Point, Great Captain Island, Old Field Point, and Block Island North.

A 14-foot metal tower is located a short distance northwest of the lighthouse. The automated light in the tower has served as an aid to navigation since 1978. In 1994, the Fresnel lens was removed from the lighthouse and moved to the East End Seaport Museum in Greenport.

The East End Lighthouses group was formed in 2000 to refurbish and potentially relight the light. On April 24, 2007, the Town of Southold passed a resolution to transfer ownership of the lighthouse to the town. The lighthouse is currently closed to the public except for specific stakeholder groups with Department of Homeland Security authorization.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons