National Lighthouse Museum

Overview

In March of 1997, members of major lighthouse preservation organizations met in Alexandria, VA to begin the work of creating a National Lighthouse Museum. After agreeing on the basic requirements for the museum, the committee began a search for an appropriate site. Requests for Expressions of Interest were sent out to their local chapters and other interested parties asking if they could recommend sites that would fit the museum's needs. The site had to be historically appropriate, with a significant visitor potential, secure, practical, attractive, large enough to accommodate the exhibits and administrative needs of the museum and have the support of the local community.

New York Harbor Lights, the New York City Chapter of the National Lighthouse Society, responded with a proposal to locate the museum at the original U.S. Lighthouse Service Depot on Staten Island.

In 1852 the Lighthouse Board was formed as a result of years of scathing investigations into the poor conditions of U.S. Lighthouses. The new Lighthouse Board made sweeping improvements with regards to instructions to keepers, lighthouse construction and site selection, equipment, and supply. Although local depots were scattered about the country in each of the 12 lighthouse districts, it became apparent that a central base of operations was needed. In 1862 fifteen of thirty available acres at St. George on Staten Island were acquired for the "Super Depot", where employees of the Lighthouse Establishment could test and inspect fuels, lamps and lenses, where design and experimentation could take place, where lighthouse tools and implements could be manufactured, and to serve as a base of supply for all U.S. lighthouses and lighthouse districts. After the Civil War ended, all thirty acres available at the site were used by the Lighthouse Depot.

Many of the remaining structures are now on the National Register of Historic Places and the Administration Building is a New York City Landmark. The cost of renovating the old buildings is less than that of building a new museum and their historic status qualifies them for Federal, State and local support.

In 1998, after reviewing proposals from around the nation, the site selection committee chose Staten Island's old Lighthouse Depot as the future home of the National Lighthouse Museum.

The Depot is directly adjacent to the Staten Island Ferry Terminal with panoramic views of the entire harbor. It includes a large pier for docking any future museum vessels, such as a lightship, as well as private tour boats. With more than two million tourists riding the ferry and new boats and terminals now planned, the museum would become a central figure in an area that promises to become a major visitor center in the city.