Oswego West Pierhead Lighthouse

 

            The first lighthouse in Oswego was built in 1822, on the grounds of Fort Ontario, on the east shore of the Oswego River.  It was replaced in 1836 by a light on the west pier.  This second light was octagonal, built of gray stone with an attached oil room.  It had a fixed white third order lens that could be seen for 15 miles.  This light was torn down in 1930.

            The current lighthouse was built in 1934, at the end of the west pier.   It was a square white metal building with a red pyramidal roof and attached tower.  The rotating fourth order Fresnel Lens is tinted with red panels on the lantern windows.

            The light has a reputation of being haunted.  This came to be after a fatal accident in December 1942, when six Coast Guardsmen were killed in a boating accident during a changing of the lighthouse keepers.   The accident led to the automation of the lighthouse.

            The light is off limits to the public, but is best viewed from Bretbeck Park, on Lake Street in Oswego.

 

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