{"nrhp_refnum":"69000142","name":"Montauk Point Lighthouse","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"2000 Montauk Hwy.","address_restricted":false,"city":"Montauk","county":"Suffolk County","state":"NY","lat":41.07107161700006,"lon":-71.85717382358533,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1969-07-07","is_nhl":true,"nhl_designated_date":"2012-03-02","areas_of_significance":["Commerce","Transportation","Communications"],"significance_levels":["national"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A cut-stone octagonal lighthouse tower with outbuildings at Montauk Point, at the eastern tip of Long Island in the Town of Easthampton, Suffolk County, New York. It was built in 1796-1797 and rebuilt in 1860, and is owned by the U.S. Coast Guard.","why_significant":"The form calls it the oldest beacon established by the United States. It was authorized by President Washington in 1796 and designed by John McComb, architect of New York City Hall. It marks an important sea approach to New York harbor and has been a navigation landmark for over 170 years. It is also a popular scenic attraction.","narrative":"Montauk Point Lighthouse is an octagonal, pyramid-shaped tower of cut stone at the eastern tip of Long Island, in the Town of Easthampton. Built in 1796 and 1797 and rebuilt in 1860, it was authorized by President Washington in January 1796 on a site selected in 1792. John McComb, architect of New York City Hall, designed it. In 1860 steps replaced an interior ladder and the tower gained 28 feet. It now rises 108 feet above ground, with walls three feet thick that widen to 12 feet at the base. The site also has rebuilt 1860 outbuildings, a skeleton tower and a World War II-period tower. Erosion has brought the shoreline much closer than the original distance of nearly 100 yards. The light has burned whale oil, lard oil and kerosene before electric power, and flashes every ten seconds. The nomination describes it as the oldest beacon established by the United States, a landmark on the sea approach to New York harbor for over 170 years, and a popular scenic attraction.","period_of_significance":null,"architect_builder":"John McComb","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"Listed in good condition and altered, on its original site. The form shows it occupied, with public access, and in government and park use. A 1960s letter describes erosion of the bluff in front of it.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:50:39.815896-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_NY/69000142.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000142/61beac3442-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/69000142/61beac3442-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"Wolfgang Wander","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montauk_Point_Lighthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Wolfgang Wander</a>, <a href=\"http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Montauk_Point_Lighthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75322190","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montauk_Point_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q6904488"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/new-york/suffolk-county/montauk-point-lighthouse-69000142/"}