Athens Lighthouse Tours
Saturday, July 12,
11:00 am to 4:00 pm
from the Athens Town Park
 Athens Lighthouse |
Tours of the Athens Lighthouse will be available from the Athens Town Park on Saturday, July 12, 11:00 am to 4:00 pm. Cost is $15 per person, or $30 per family which includes a one year membership in the lighthouse society.
All funds go directly to the preservation projects at the lighthouse
and are tax deductible. Rain or fast water date, July 13th, same place
and the same time. For more information, call
Transportation to the lighthouse via the Lighthouse Lady. Guides are provided at the lighthouse, and souvenirs are available for purchase (cups, hats, shirts, prints, 3D models, posters, notepaper, etc.)
Hudson-Athens Lighthouse
In the late 1880's, hazards created by the Middle Ground Flats opposite the City of Hudson made navigation of the Hudson River at that point extremely risky for the busy shipping route between New York City to Troy.
After much petitioning to the Congress of the United states, a survey
was completed and an appropriation of $35,000.00 was approved in 1872
to build the Hudson City Lighthouse.
Construction began in early 1873 and the lighthouse was put into operation
on November 14, 1874 with Henry D. Best as its first keeper.
Built in the Second Empire architectural style, the two story brick and granite structure sits majestically in the middle of the river between Hudson and Athens. The lighthouse was automated on November 10,1949 almost seventy-five years to the date on which it was first lighted. Today the lighthouse still serves as an aid to navigation guiding ships safely around the Middle Ground Flats.
Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society
In 1967, Governor, Nelson A. Rockefeller, established the Hudson River Valley Commission to explore possible uses for the Hudson River Lighthouses. The Commission recommended that the Coast Guard deed over or lease these facilities to public or private not-for-profit groups. These groups would then rehabilitate, maintain, and operate the facilities for public benefit.
In 1982, a group of citizens from Columbia and Greene Counties formed the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society. A landmark lease was signed on February 15, 1984. The 20 year lease between the Lighthouse Society and the U.S. Coast Guard was the first such lease signed by a government agency and a private group for a Hudson River Lighthouse.
The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society, is a membership organization established to provide a means by which interested persons may be actively involved in the museum development and the preservation of the historic Hudson-Athens Lighthouse. The society is responsible for the restoration, preservation, and operation of the lighthouse. The lighthouse beacon remains the responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard.
These periodic newsletters and announcements are published to promote the historic, cultural, and maritime resources of the Hudson River.
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