• Montauk Point Lighthouse

    Sitting atop the eastern point of Long Island, Montauk Point Lighthouse has guided ships for more than 225 years. It is a National Historic Landmark.

     

    Fun Facts

    • President George Washington ordered the lighthouse’s construction in April, 1792. It was completed in November, 1796.
    • The U.S. Lighthouse Service and the U.S. Coast Guard have been responsible for maintaining and lighting the lighthouse.
    • The lighthouse has guided submarines, ships, and fishing vessels to safety for many years.
    • The lighthouse was abandoned by the Coast Guard in the 1960s. The lighthouse fell into disrepair. People worried that powerful storms and waves would eventually wash the lighthouse away.
    • During the 1970s and 1980s, Georginia Reed organized citizens to build a terrace to protect the lighthouse. The lighthouse is used today to guide ships and is also a museum.

     

    Vocabulary

    1. Disrepair: a state of neglect
    2. Terrace: a structure built on a hillside to prevent erosion

     

    Questions and Answers

    Question: How did the Coast Guard take care of the light house?

    Answer: a caretaker lived in the lighthouse full-time.

     

    Learn More

    Watch a video about the   Montauk Point Lighthouse.

Close

Cite This Page

You may cut-and-paste the below MLA and APA citation examples:

MLA Style Citation

Declan, Tobin. " Cool Facts about Montauk Point Lighthouse ." American History for Kids, Sep 2023. Web. 30 Sep 2023. < https://www.americanhistoryforkids.com/montauk-point-lighthouse/ >.

APA Style Citation

Tobin, Declan. (2023). Cool Facts about Montauk Point Lighthouse. American History for Kids. Retrieved from https://www.americanhistoryforkids.com/montauk-point-lighthouse/

Cite this Page