Montauk Lighthouse
by Lila Glansberg
One of the most exciting parts of today’s trip, for me, was climbing to the top of the lighthouse. I’ve been to the Montauk lighthouse several times before, but never had the opportunity to climb it. The lighthouse stands about 111 feet tall. The sun was shining and there was a light breeze; perfect lighthouse climbing weather.
At the top of the lighthouse, we all took turns standing on the small observation deck, posing for Kurt’s pictures in our Stony Brook gear, checking out the panoramic views, and frantically trying to get someone on the ground to wave at us (no one did).
It was a beautiful day in Montauk, and we can only hope for the same next week in Easthampton!
Montauk
by Sarah McTague
Due to Montauk’s interesting placement and proximity to New York City, it has constantly been susceptible to threats in time of War. In World War II, there were many different types of people trying to protect their home and country. With the enemy ships right on Long Island’s doorstep at this time, those who couldn’t join the military decided to protect the island the best they could. Constant patrols were sent out to use a sonar technique to detect any U-Boats, an early form of a submarine that was used in both World War I and II. Though there were few that were detected, Tara told us a story of a man by the name of John Cullen, who was part of the Coast Guard at this time. He actually stumbled upon four German soldiers one night on a beach in Montauk pretending to be lost fishermen, and was supposedly bribed by the men to leave and pretend they never had met. Cullen raced back to the station with news of enemy soldiers landing on Long Island, but only having two weeks under his belt, many doubted his story. After reaching the beach where the encounter occurred, though the men were gone, 4 German uniforms were uncovered in the sand, and a full investigation was underway. The plot twist of this story however, is the fact that one of the four German soldiers actually turned himself, his fellow soldiers whom he entered Long Island with, and a few spies down in Florida, making him a traitor to his country. He, unlike some of the other spies, was able to return to Germany where he was surprisingly able to live out his life.
Though such a small town, there was a large amount of military intervention in this area as well. Built near Montauk Lighthouse, sits a place called Camp Hero. We didn’t delve into this piece of history as much on our trip, but it is equally fascinating. Though no shot was ever taken here, it served as a coastal observation and protection base due to the threat of German U-boats, which were clearly a large threat to this area. Disguised like a fishing village, Camp Hero was completely self-sustained, with barracks, seaplane hangars, and even a torpedo testing facility. Four 16-inch and two 6-inch guns were set up in bunkers overlooking the edge of eastern Montauk. It is fascinating to hear of its monumental change in times of War over the span of 200 years. It started as a piece of America that was just automatically given up to the British in the Revolutionary War because it just was so hard to protect, and became a place of military control with a determination to not give the enemy what they wanted.
Montauk Lighthouse
by Peter Larios
Upon arriving at the Montauk Lighthouse and Museum, we were given a tour by Hank of the museum staff. The area surrounding the Montauk lighthouse has been inhabited for thousands of years by the local Montauket Native Americans. After the arrival of the English in the 1600’s, the Montauk area and the south shore of Long Island became critical for navigation of ships traveling the Atlantic (Osmer). It is for this reason why the Montauk lighthouse and the lighthouses on the south shore were all painted different colors and had different lantern frequencies. This was so that ships could distinguish which harbor they were sailing past. This method of aiding navigation was critical to sailing ships, as captains could easily mistake one lighthouse for another. Such a situation occurred in the late 1800’s, when the captain of the John Milton mistook the Shinnecock lighthouse for the Montauk lighthouse, unknowingly sailing his ship into the rocks and causing the loss of his vessel and all aboard.
The history of the lighthouse itself is one of consistent upkeep and maintenance followed by periods of neglect and disrepair. Prior to world war two, the lighthouse was still manned by civilian keepers whose duties had changed little since colonial times. In the late 1930’s, a radio tower was constructed adjacent to the lighthouse and the sound and light beacons were changed as well (Osmer). Although the light house was still used for navigation, its primary role during world war two was surveillance against Nazi submarines known to patrol the waters offshore. The area was militarized further with the construction of two massive artillery pieces. Two bunkers and control centers for the guns were also constructed during the middle years of the war (Osmer). After the war the lighthouse was under control of the Coast Guard, who let the military installations installed during the war degrade. The lighthouse itself after the war was described as degraded and in shambles. Its condition would greatly improve under the Coast Guard however, who refurbished and repainted the lighthouse in the 1950’s and 1960’s (Osmer). The clockwork which revolved the beacon was at last replaced by a motor unit in the early 1960’s. The lighthouse was modernized further in the 1980’s with the installment of an automated beacon as well as an emergency backup beacon (Osmer). Following this automazation, the lighthouse was handed over to the Montauk Historical Society in the 1980s so that the area could be preserved as a museum (Osmer).
Area taken up by the lighthouse in the early 1900’s as well as today. Notice the extensive effect of erosion when comparing the top and bottom displays. Although massive efforts have been undertaken to prevent erosion, the site still remains vulnerable to strong storms.
View from the front of the lighthouse out into the Atlantic Ocean. The lighthouse was critical for navigation in the 18 and 1900’s, as ships needed guidance for traversing into New England from the Atlantic Ocean. The rotating beacon would be updated numerous times, the last being in the 1980’s with the installments of a new beacon and a backup system (Osmer). Prior to these updated in the late 20th century, lighthouse keepers had to climb the lighthouse every few hours to reset the rotating mechanism which controlled the beacon (Osmer).
This site was likely used by the U.S lifesaving teams during the 1800’s and early 1900’s. Prior to the establishment of the coast guard and navigational aids, ships were at the mercy of the currents and underwater rocks. It was the job of the lifesaving teams to secure beached vessels and bring the inhabitants to safety. With the advent of the coast guard and steam power, these lifesaving stations fell out of use, and were completely abandoned by the early 1900’s.
Citation: Osmer, Henry. On Eagles Beak, A History of the Montauk Point Lighthouse. N.p.: Outskirts, 2008. Print.
Montauk Surfing
by Jade Blennau
Montauk is home to many of Long Island’s best surf spots. The sport has grown and developed into its own culture right here on our coasts. The Montauk lighthouse hosts an exhibit devoted to the history and science of surfing along with the importance of keeping our beautiful beaches clean.
The surf scene has had a history of attracting young beach bums from around the world. Long Island is no different, the second half of the 20th century attracted groups of young people to the sport creating the nickname, “Homo Aquaticus” or the common surfer. The summer of 1967 was named the “Summer of Love” because of the mass hippie-youth movement aimed at protesting the political and social strife of the United States. The flower children protested the Vietnam War and created a counterculture that would divide generations. Older residents of East Hampton saw surfing as the activity to blame because of its association with pot smoking, delinquent hippies blasting the tunes of The Beach Boys at all hours of the day.
In 1967 the town put a ban on surfing. Resident Sam Cocks officially filed the complaint against the surfing population stating that the surfers were constantly falling off of their boards and a danger to swimmers and all beach goers around them. The waves were officially off limits to any surfer who did not register with the town of East Hampton and wear an official medallion while in the water. This unenforceable policy was dedicated to keeping youth hippies off the beaches.
Surfing was preserved through the work of Perry B. “Chip” Duryea. His work and organized protests helped create Cola Copa Youth Surf Club, a safe haven for young surfers and most importantly MAPS, Montauk Associating for the Preservation of Surfing. The association promised to keep the east end’s beaches clean of pollution and of vandal beach bum hippies. Surfing was saved and the beaches ultimately benefitted from these clean-beach policies.
Montauk Lighthouse Lantern
by James Loglisci
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Montauk Lighthouse as it stands today.
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This week’s schedule brought our group to the Montauk Lighthouse which became the nation’s 12th lighthouse to be designated a national historic landmark in 2012. The lighthouse itself has its own incredible history and this includes the lantern itself. The original light used in 1796 was a fixed light and contained a clockwork mechanism to rotate the light that required winding every 3 hours. In 1858, a first order Fresnal lens was lit in the lighthouse and emitted a flashing signal every 2 minutes in order to assist seamen with distance and timing in their navigation. In 1903 a bivalve lens was installed in the lighthouse which emitted a flashing white beam every 10 seconds. This changed in 1960 under control of the Coast Guard following the disaster of the Pelican, a ship that had capsized off the coast in 1951. The candle-power was upgraded and the light was made to flash at a period of 5 seconds.
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A Vega VRB-25 lantern
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In 1987, the Montauk Lighthouse saw many changes as control of the lighthouse shifted hands from the Coast Guard to the Montauk Historical Society. The clockwork mechanism that had rotated the light for so many years was removed as the lantern was automated. This ended the need for a keeper for the lighthouse. In 2001, the current lantern was installed in the lighthouse, a Vega VRB-25. This lantern’s power is incredible and only requires maintenance every 10-20 years. The lantern is powered by six 50-watt halogen bulbs which can project light up to 19 nautical miles. Out of the six bulbs in the lantern, only one is a light at any one instance. A big thank you to Sally for sharing this and being a hand model for the bulb.
Montauk Lighthouse Erosion
by James Macdonald
The substrate that makes up the coast of Montauk Point has been continuously eroding since it was deposited by the last glacier that left Long Island some 21,000 years ago. In more recent United States history this erosion has been extensively observed in the points recession towards the Montauk Lighthouse, constructed in 1796 by orders of George Washington.
The relentless retreat of the coastline has sparked many debates and conjecture on what should be done to protect the lighthouse and the surrounding area. Already military installations have been toppled and dismantled due to the encroaching shoreline.
In 1970, textile designer Giorgina Reid spearheaded an initiative to halt further erosion and save the iconic monument along with the beachfront property around her home that was also on the verge of being lost. She patented the concept of using trench terracing with local invasive reeds stuffed along the bottom to prevent sand runoff along the bottom of the wood planks.
Since then, the coast line has halted in its assault inland and allows the Lighthouse to remain as a tribute to the history of Long Island and the ingenuity and strength of her people.
Montauk Lighthouse
by Maria Grima
Montauk: From time out of mind, A special place with special people
Sun-soaked beaches and star-filled nights, luring pleasure seekers from near and far;
Homeless coconuts drift aimlessly onto the sand.
Generations of footsteps winding to these bountiful shores;
Waves of developers imprinting their vision on the land, sky and water.
Earliest Long Islanders flaking chert into sharply pointed arrowheads;
Enormous nets weighted with flapping and shimmering sea life.
Straining lines and stretching poles, clasped in strong and weathered hands.
First whalers harvesting mighty mammals from within dugout canoes;
Proud descendants surviving the myth of extinction.
Salt spray and tears mark journey’s end;
Howling winds and boiling seas foreshadow human loss.
Howling winds and boiling seas foreshadow human loss.
The poetic title and captions of these photos are lines that be read on the walls in the Montauk Museum--scattered among the maps, photos, and exhibits. This museum is located in what used to be the former house of the lighthouse keeper, and the two bachelors that assisted him. Throughout history, this lighthouse has played remarkably diverse roles. It has seen ocean storms, native american culture, relocation of tribes, pre- and post-colonial trade, tragic shipwrecks, anxious survival stories, British occupation during our American Revolution, German infiltration during World War II, massive erosion, centuries of American culture, and the love of those who tried and succeeded in saving it. Montauk Point has inspired several writers (even the hard-to-please Walt Whitman!) throughout its time standing at “the end.” Featured below is a poem by Whitman, written on March 1, 1888 after his stay there. [found on http://whitmanarchive.org/]
FROM MONTAUK POINT.
I stand as on some mighty eagle's beak,
Eastward the sea absorbing, viewing, (nothing
but sea and sky)
The tossing waves, the foam, the ships in the
distance,
The wild unrest, the snowy, curling caps—that
inbound urge and urge of waves,
Seeking the shores forever.
[Photo by James Macdonald]
Our class on our way to experience the beauty of Montauk lighthouse for ourselves!
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