April 2002

Rondout Lighthouse
Opens for the Season
May 4th

Boat rides to the historic Rondout Lighthouse will begin on Saturday, May 4th

Motor launch Indy preparing to take visitors to the Rondout Lighthouse

The first Kingston Lighthouse was built in 1837, a wood structure which was badly damaged by ice and weather and became unsafe for the keeper and her family. A second lighthouse of brick and stone was constructed in 1867 on the south side of the creek. This second light was abandoned in 1915 when the present dikes were constructed at the Creek's entrance. Demolished in 1954 when its roof collapsed, the second lighthouses's stone footings are still visible today beyond the breakwater. In 1913 construction started on a new lighthouse, which is the structure known to area residents today as the Rondout Lighthouse. The largest and last 'family' light built on the Hudson River, the third Rondout Lighthouse, was first lit on August 25, 1915.

Rondout Lighthouse

Rondout is the port of Kingston. It has been a section of the city of Kingston since 1872, but was once a thriving independent town with its own port, industries, schools, and post office. In 1828, just three years after the opening of the Erie Canal, the Wurts brothers of Pennsylvania built the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) Canal and begin to transport anthracite, or hard, coal from eastern Pennsylvania to the Rondout by canal to reach the huge market of New York City.

Rondout the village jumped into existence rapidly with the arrival of the D&H Canal and its coal. Not only did the facilities for unloading and transshipping the coal appear, but also all the support businesses that went with the new industry like boat building, supply businesses of all types, banks, and saloons. During the heyday of the D&H Canal, the population of Rondout reached and surpassed that of its sister village of Kingston. Rondout was the most important port between New York and Albany.

The burgeoning maritime activity necessitated the building of a lighthouse at the mouth of the Rondout Creek to warn captains of the dangers of the shore and the shallow tidal fiats. The first Rondout lighthouse was a frame building located on the southern shore of the creek's mouth built ca. 1837. In a 1979 interview Pearl Rightmeyer (then 88 years old), granddaughter of the Murdocks, (early lightkeepers) recalls "Not long after my grandmother (Catherine Murdock) took over (the duties of the lightkeeper) a freshet came up and boats came loose at Eddyville and came down the creek. One of the bowsprits came right through the wall of the dining room when my grandmother was in it. Luckily she wasn't killed. That was when they decided to build a stone lighthouse."

Foundation of old lighthouse beyond the breakwater

A replacement lighthouse was built in 1867 at the same location using bluestone. (The foundation of this Rondout Light is still visible as one travels the creek by boat.) It was described as having on the first floor a parlor, a dining room, hall and supply room. The second floor sported three bedrooms and the watch room with steps leading to the light tower.

As traffic in and out of Rondout increased, the Army Corps of Engineers extended the dikes at Rondout further into the river and this Rondout Light no longer marked the entrance to the creek. Plans were then made to build a new light on the north side of the creek's entry. The new light, constructed of buff colored brick, was completed in 1915. This new light was in a better position to mark the harbor entrance.

In 1984 the Hudson River Maritime Museum entered into a long-term lease agreement with the Coast Guard for the Rondout Light. In charge of restoration for the structure and allowed to give tours of the building, the Museum has made Rondout Light a unique annex to its site.

The lighthouse is open for visiting from May through June on Saturdays & Sundays from noon till 4pm. July through October the lighthouse is open daily from noon till 4pm. Boat launch departs the Museum daily at 12:30, 1:30, 2:30 & 3:30pm during July & August, weekends and holidays only in May, June and September.

It's always a good idea to check with the museum to confirm the availability of the lighthouse tours before planning a visit.

Boat Tours to the Rondout Lighthouse

History of the Rondout Lighthouse

Hours of Operation, Schedules and Fees

Directions to the Museum