East Charity Shoal Light
Why it's listed
East Charity Shoal Light is an offshore lighthouse standing alone in northeastern Lake Ontario, roughly 9.5 miles southwest of Cape Vincent, New York, and close to the U.S.-Canada boundary. Established in 1935, it rises about 56 feet from a reinforced concrete pier set on a wooden crib in 14 feet of water. A one-story octagonal concrete deckhouse supports a three-story cast iron tower topped by a lantern. The light marks a shoal near the main shipping lanes between the St. Lawrence River and the Welland Canal. Earlier warnings there, a day beacon and later lighted buoys, proved vulnerable to ice, and a freighter ran aground on the shoal in 1897. In the early 1930s the Bureau of Lighthouses chose to build a permanent, automatically operated light instead. The tower reused cast iron sections from a storm-damaged lighthouse at Vermilion, Ohio. The structure keeps a high level of integrity and still operates as an automated navigation aid.
Significance in brief: It is significant for maritime history, transportation, architecture and engineering. It replaced lighted buoys on a hazardous shoal near the main shipping lanes to the St. Lawrence River. It is also an example of the Bureau of Lighthouses' program of building permanent, automated offshore lights in the Great Lakes, reusing a cast iron tower from Vermilion, Ohio.
Machine-generated summary. This summary was generated by a language model from the official nomination document and has not been reviewed line by line by an editor. It may contain errors. Check the source document before relying on any detail. Source: nomination document (PDF) · National Archives catalog entry. NRHP reference 08000231, listed March 27, 2008. Summary generated October 2026 (model claude-sonnet-5-5, prompt v1.0-2026-10-29, confidence medium).
Key facts
| Address | NE. L. Ontario at US-Canada boundary 9.5 mi. SW. of Cape Vincent, Cape Vincent |
|---|---|
| County | Jefferson County |
| Listed | March 27, 2008 |
| Reference number | 08000231 |
| Resource type | Structure |
| Architectural style | No Style |
| Criteria |
|
| Areas of significance | Maritime History, Transportation, Architecture, Engineering |
| Level of significance | Local |
| Status (as stated in the nomination) | Owned by the U.S. Coast Guard and operated as an automated aid to navigation; described as retaining a high level of historic integrity. |
| Acreage | 0.9 |
| Coordinates | 44.03865, -76.48136 (NPS GIS) |
What listing means for this property
National Register listing is honorary: it recognises significance and does not restrict what a private owner may do without federal money or permits. It unlocks the 20% federal rehabilitation tax credit for income-producing buildings, state credits in many states, and Section 106 review when federal agencies are involved. See what listing means in practice.
General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change; confirm with your State Historic Preservation Office or a qualified adviser.
Sources and further reading
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places database (snapshot May 2026), reference 08000231.
- Nomination form (PDF, National Archives) — catalog entry
- Wikipedia article (used for cross-checking only; text not reproduced here)
- Wikidata Q5328070
- This listing as JSON
Last updated October 2026. Found an error? See the editorial policy for how to report it.