The oldest lighthouse in New York and the fourth-oldest active beacon in the United States, Montauk Point Lighthouse was authorized by the second U.S. Congress, under President Washington, in 1792. Construction started June 7, 1796, and was completed Nov. 5 that year. The structure’s Fresnel lens sits 168 feet above the confluence of Long Island Sound and the Atlantic at the eastern tip of Long Island — a renowned area for fishing. In autumn, striped bass, false albacore and bonito blitz baitfish that have been flushed out of the sound and into the ocean, attracting anglers from around the world.
This article originally appeared in the May 2018 issue.
