Holiday Weekend Event Will Spotlight Region's Lighthouses

When the formally assumed stewardship of the New London Harbor Light on Pequot Avenue in October, a Coast Guard officer commented that, from the top of the lighthouse, you could see numerous neighboring lighthouses.

From that observation came the idea for Sentinels on the Sound, a celebration of the region’s lighthouses. The celebration runs from July 1 to 3, and includes an exhibition by an Uncasville resident.

“It’s such a good idea that it’s hard to believe it didn’t come up before,” said Susan Tamulevich, director of the Custom House museum in New London.

The museum has been preparing for the events by putting together a special lighthouse exhibit on the Harbor Light, New London Ledge Light, and other prominent signals on Long Island Sound. Tamulevich said donations have included a light board from the museum at the showing where the lighthouses are located. Lighthouse keeper uniforms from the Sunbeam Fleet in Niantic also have been donated.

Tamulevich organizations invited to participate include the Stonington Historical Society, Mystic Seaport, Norwalk Historical Society, and Morgan Light. The Custom House received a $15,000 grant from the Connecticut Humanities Council for the project, and Tamulevich said she hopes to put it to use creating information panels on the different lighthouses.

“I do think it’s an idea we can build on and maybe do every two years,” she said.

Friday, opening day

will have three lighthouse models by Uncasville resident Robert A. Landry on display, portraying the Harbor Light, Ledge Light, and Race Rock Light off Fishers Island.

The exhibits will include a 1760 lottery ticket used to raise funds to build the Harbor Light as well as information on Nathaniel Shaw Jr., who donated the land for the lighthouse and served as its first keeper.

Visitors to the Custom House may also sample lighthouse cakes made by local bakers and vote on their favorites at 7:30 p.m.

Friday events events also include a book signing at the Custom House by Todd Gipstein, whose novel, "Legacy of the Light," focuses on two generations of lighthouse keepers at Race Rock Light.

Also on Friday, there will be fireworks at at 8 p.m.

Saturday

Tours of the city’s two iconic lighthouses. The New London Ledge Lighthouse Foundation has set up exhibits at the site, and Project Oceanology is leading tours there from the Custom House Pier at 4 p.m. on Saturday as well as 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on Sunday.

The two-and-a-half hour visits are $25 for adults and $20 for children, and offer a unique opportunity to learn about everything from the operation of Ledge Light to Ernie, the former keeper who some say still haunts the place.

Tours of the Harbor Light will run from the Custom House at 11 a.m., 1 p.m., and 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Call 860-445-9007 to register for the Ledge Light tour, 860-447-2501 to register for the Harbor Light Tour.

A three-part lighthouse symposium will also take place on Saturday. The morning session runs from 9:30 a.m. to noon at Fort Trumbull State Park, the lunch session from noon to 1 p.m. at the New London County Historical Society, and the afternoon session 12:45 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Custom House. Each session features a panel of speakers, including author Jeremy d’Entremount, Capt. Joseph Vojvodich of the U.S. Coast Guard, and Petty Officer Stephen Newberry of the Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team. The cost is $40 for the full day and $25 for the first two sessions.

Sunday

Closing events include a bicycle tour by Bike New London that will visit several lighthouses and historic sites between Fort Trumbull and Mystic Seaport.

The free expedition departs the fort at 11 a.m. The day will also see “sea shantyman” John Roberts perform a concert at , an open house at Mystic Seaport at 5 p.m., and Broadway and opera favorites accompanying a picnic on the grounds of the Old Lighthouse in Stonington at 6 p.m. The cost for this closing event is $15 in advance or $20 on the day.

For more information, visit the Custom House website.