Fire Island History

Fire Island's roots go back to 1653, when Isaac Stratford of Babylon constructed a whaling station on the Island and named it Whalehouse Point. Stratford and his crew would haul boats across the narrow sand Island to the ocean and build towers from which a man could watch for the spouting of a whale. When a spout was seen Stratford would yell "Whale Off!" and the boats would be launched into the rough surf in pursuit of the catch.

Fire Islands next big development came in 1825 when the Federal government constructed a lighthouse at western tip of the Island. As late as 1856, a sailor passing through the Inlet could yell to the lighthousekeeper as they passed within feet from the structure. Less than 100 years later, four miles of sand had accumulated between the lighthouse and the western end of the Island. The Fire Island Light was an important landmark for transatlantic ships coming into New York Harbor at the turn of the last century. For many European immigrants, the Fire Island Light House was their first sight of land upon arrival in America. The light house is now a national landmark, and museum.

Around the 1920s, Fire Island developed into a Bohemian retreat. The rum flowed in and the the beaches were littered with copies of Variety and Billboard, the newly established saloons became cluttered with adventurous bohemian writers and musicians. But behind all this frivolity, business prevailed in the form of mass real estate expansion.

Real Estate boomed in the 1950's and a few small cottages began to turn into communities and by the 1960's the landscape became a collage of rooftops and land plots. The rich and famous wanted to make this a retreat from the busy streets on New York City.

Today Fire Island is one of the hottest places to have a beach house. Still popular among artists, actors, musicians, and the ultra rich. Fire Island has never succumb to the same commercialism and class barriers that haunts the Hamptons. Fire Island has no restaurants that require a tie and people here opt for casual dress. This still is a truly laid back Bohemian getaway.

More on the history of the Fire Island light house.

The first lighthouse built on Fire Island was completed in 1826. A 74-foot high, cream colored, octagonal pyramid made of Connecticut River blue split stone. The tower was built at the west end of the island, adjacent to the inlet. This tower was never truly effective due to its lack of height. It was taken down and the stone was reused to build the terrace for the present lighthouse. Today a circular ring of bricks and stone are all that remain of the original lighthouse.

In 1857 Congress appropriated $40,000 for the construction of a new tower, 168 feet tall. It was lit for the first time on November 1, 1858. This tower was made of red brick, and painted a light yellow color. The tower was changed to the present day-mark of alternating black and white bands in August 1891.

The new tower was equipped with a First Order Fresnel Lens, which emitted a white flash at one minute intervals. A Funk Lamp with 4 concentric wicks was used for illumination. Over the years various fuels were used for the lamps, including whale oil, lard oil, mineral oil and kerosene. Electricity finally reached the lighthouse on September 20, 1938. However, on September 21, 1938 a hurricane struck the island, effectively severing all electric power to the island and causing a delay in the electrification of the Fire Island Light Station. The United States Coast Guard has been present on Fire Island since its inception in 1915. A Coast Guard Station was established on the Lighthouse tract. Eventually the United States Lighthouse Service was dissolved. The administration of lighthouses was placed under the jurisdiction of the US Coast Guard in 1939 "in the interest of economy and efficiency" (Presidential Reorganization Act).

The Fire Island Lighthouse was decommissioned as an aid to navigation on December 31, 1973. The new aid to navigation was a "small flash tube optic" installed atop the Robert Moses State Park Water Tower.

After the Fire Island Lighthouse was decommissioned in 1974, the Coast Guard gave the National Park Service a five-year permit to use the entire Lighthouse Tract (approximately 82 acres). In 1979, the tract was declared by law to be within the boundaries of the Fire Island National Seashore. With limited funds, the major function of the Park Service during its early administration of the Lighthouse tract was to prevent further deterioration of the buildings through neglect and vandalism. Between 1974 and 1980, private citizens grouped together in an effort to "save the Fire Island Lighthouse." The strobe light on the Robert Moses Tower only shone seaward and was of no use to boaters on the Great South Bay. Public support for restoration of the Fire Island Lighthouse was great among the Baymen.

In 1982, the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society was formed. They successfully raised over 1.2 million dollars for the restoration and preservation of the Fire Island Lighthouse. In 1984, the Fire Island Lighthouse was placed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Lighthouse was restored to its 1939 condition, which is when electricity was first installed. On Memorial Day, May 28, 1986, the Fire Island Lighthouse was relit and reinstated as an official aid to navigation.

In December 1996 the Fire Island Lighthouse Preservation Society (FILPS) through an agreement with the National Park Service took over the maintenance and operation of the Fire Island Lighthouse and Keeper's Quarters.

Today the light is lit by two 1000-watt bulbs, which rotate in a counterclockwise direction, giving the appearance of a flash every 7.5 seconds. The light is visible for approximately 21-24 miles. Fully automated operation and maintenance of the light itself, remains under the jurisdiction of the United States Coast Guard.

For visiting times and contact info please see our "things to do" section.
Things to do.