Tarrytown Lighthouse in Sleepy Hollow is all fixed up. When can you see it?
If you've been on the Riverwalk between Tarrytown and Sleepy Hollow, you've most likely seen the lighthouse near Kingsland Point Park a million times. But how much do you know about it?
The Tarrytown Lighthouse in Sleepy Hollow has been undergoing restoration efforts since 2022 and — while it's not yet open to the public — those restorations are now complete. Westchester County Executive George Latimer led a ribbon cutting in front of the lighthouse May 23 to mark the occasion.
And that means what's old is new again. The lighthouse, which was built in 1883, got a new paint job and a complete overhaul, including the repairing of caisson cracks, window and door replacements, cleaning and re-pointing of the foundation masonry, refurbishing of the interior plaster, restoring of the wood floors, and reconstruction of the intermediate landing between the bridge and gangway.
There's a new security gate on the mainland and new electric exterior lighting.
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Because the building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, everything was done meticulously to keep its interior and exterior as close to its original look as possible. The capital project especially looked back at the lighthouse's exterior between 1937 and 1976, when it was still in active service.
Also newly added: a mesh fence on the catwalk for safety reasons (it previously had been open).
A Westchester history lesson
Some perspective: The lighthouse was built in response to pleas by local steamship companies for assistance in navigating dangerous shoals. It’s the only lighthouse in Westchester and the only conical steel structure in the county to include living quarters for its keepers.
It was once a half-mile off shore, with its main purpose to warn ships away from the dangerous shoals on the east side of the Hudson River. Years of landfill deposited by the now-demolished General Motors factory moved the shoreline to where it is now.
Not only is the lighthouse an iconic symbol of Sleepy Hollow, which incidentally is celebrating its 150th birthday this year, but it's one of seven remaining along the Hudson. The other closest one, which you may or may not have seen before, is below the George Washington Bridge. It's also what's called a sparkplug lighthouse, meaning the superstructure rests on concrete and metal caisson. The GW lighthouse, according to John Phillips, curator of the Tarrytown Lighthouse, is smaller than the Tarrytown one and is known as The Little Red Lighthouse.
At one point, said Phillips, the Hudson was basically a "superhighway" of boats travelling north and south during the 18th and 19th centuries. The river got busier with the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825.
The lighthouse was home to 12 keepers (and their families) over its 78 years of service. The opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge in 1955, complete with navigation lights, made the lighthouse obsolete, so it was decommissioned in 1961. As for why it remains intact while other lighthouses along the Hudson have closed, Phillips speculated it had to do with community's love for it.
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"You can find postcards going back to the 1800s that show this lighthouse," he said. "It was obviously a popular landmark."
Older photos show there was no bridge to the lighthouse, as there is now. The bridge was erected by the Westchester County Department of Public Works in 1975. (It remains locked and closed until further notice.)
The old keepers — all men — did more than just maintain the lighthouse. They had to keep a detailed log of river conditions and occasionally rescue people in distress. According to Phillips, their wives were essentially co-keepers as they were tasked with maintaining the lighthouse as a home.
So when can you see inside?
There's no date yet for when the public will be able to step inside the lighthouse. But there were periodic open houses and docent-led tours before the pandemic and then again until the fall of 2022. And they will begin again at some point.
Eventually, visitors will be able to see the inside, starting with a living area/kitchen on the first floor, complete with a reproduction of a wood-burning stove, and the second and third floor bedrooms. The piece d 'resistance is the light on the top floor and the catwalk beyond it, from where, on a clear day, you can see the bridge and the Manhattan skyline in the distance.
Lighthouse fun facts
Over its 78 years of operation, 12 keepers (and their families) inhabited the seven-level structure.
The lighthouse keepers used coal to keep the structure warm.
Jacob Ackerman, a retired schooner captain and a mayor of North Tarrytown, served as the first keeper from 1883 to 1904. He was also known for keeping chickens (for eggs) on the second floor.
In its early history, the lighthouse was located close to a half-mile off shore and required a small boat to access it.
Prior to 1947, the lighthouse's lantern used kerosene and coal oil.
The lighthouse was considered obsolete once the Tappan Zee Bridge was built, so it was taken out of service in 1961.
Over the years it's been called the Tarrytown Lighthouse, the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, and Kingsland Point Lighthouse. The official name, however, is the Tarrytown Lighthouse in Sleepy Hollow.
If you go to see the outside (for now)
Address: Kingsland Point Park, 299 Palmer Avenue, Sleepy Hollow
More info:parks.westchestergov.com
Jeanne Muchnick covers food and dining. Click here for her most recent articles and follow her latest dining adventures on Instagram @jeannemuchnick or via the lohudfood newsletter.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Tarrytown Lighthouse in Sleepy Hollow has been renovated, not yet open