New London Ledgelight Lighthouse Tour
Spoiler alert: The New London Ledgelight lighthouse’s ghost turned out to be a legend based on legend, not a real person. Although I did get a pretty good picture of him:
REAL PICTURE I TOOK of Ernie the Ghost (replica)
Even an unhaunted lighthouse is better than no lighthouse, and a lighthouse built on a shelf out in the middle of the harbor is awesome. We got to go as part of a charity auction I talked my very drunk husband into bidding on (along with the rest of his command) but it turns out Ledgelight actually allows tours several times a week through Project Oceanology – although kids under 6 aren’t allowed so we won’t be dragging Evan and Caroline out there just yet.
Basic facts: Built in 1909, the light was manned by civilians, then taken over by the Coast Guard. They left in 1987 after installing an automatic light and foghorn and since then a private charity has been working to preserve the building. Tons of information about Ledgelight here on their website. They have managed to fix up the second floor and put in a TV to show the film about the light created by this guy:
Todd Gipstein and his wife were just two people who loved the light and wanted to do a little to help. They ended up taking over Ledgelight’s 100th anniversary celebration and now give tours, do hands-on work, manage the website, create brochures and videos and fundraise to continue their mission. (Todd also wrote a book, Legacy of the Light, set on the other super-cool local lighthouse Race Rock.) Although with two kids hanging around all the time, I won’t be able to volunteer as a railing painter or floor scrubber very often, I’m hoping to find ways to support Ledgelight. Because I’m a dork who thinks lighthouses are super cool.
It did not. I was kind of disappointed.
Jeeze lady, that skirt’s a little short for a work even with your husband’s boss’s boss’s boss’s boss.
Basement steps. They used to store the coal down here before the light was electric.
Basement floor
Main stairs
Picture of a lighthouse in a lighthouse. So meta.
Plum Island (Have you ever read that book? Great book.)
There was a toilet in this room that works by burning away the waste. It was kind of terrifying.
On top of the world
I dropped those sunglasses over the side as I was leaving. Only bad part of the whole day.
Every lighthouse lamp has a different pattern, so sailors could tell where they were approaching even in the dark or fog.
Ledgelight’s pattern is three white, one red
The people standing up there are all pretty important, but you don’t care.
And if you want more information on Ledgelight, you can like them on Facebook or visit their website.
p.s. While we were out there, Todd was listing ways they were trying to raising money for the light, and he said “And if someone wanted to get married out here, we’d charge them a little fee and that would be totally doable.” So now my new Life’s Goal is to find SOMEONE to get married on Ledgelight. It would be fabulous.
p.p.s. Connecticut allows same-sex marriages. Just saying.
p.p.p.s. Although if we’re still stationed here in 2014, we are TOTALLY doing a 10-year vow renewal on Ledgelight. I will buy a big fancy wedding dress and E will wear his uniform and we’ll wrap the railings in twinklelights and tulle and OH MY GOD YOU GUYS, let’s do it NOW.
Tags: adventures, awesome, Connecticut, ledgelight light house, new london, pictures, things I love
Oh my goodness, no lie Scott and I want to renew our vows in a few years because our wedding was horrible (family drama) and this place would be PERFECT for us bc all of our family (the ones that we like) from new england can come out to it and cant you just imagine me at the lighthouse with a white dress and billowy hair :-)
Im forwarding this to my family up there :-)
This looks so cool! Can I ditch my child at your house and go see it?! ……Just kidding!……Sort of.
Can I be the photographer for your vow renewal?!?!? That would be the coolest thing ever!
I LOVE the lighthouse and vow renewal should so totally be there. It would be perfect!
Wow looks like so much fun! A total adventure. Glad you had a great time =)
– Sarah
agirlintransit.blogspot.com
I wanna see the weird toilet!
Beautiful pictures
I love lighthouses! My grandparents used to live on the Oregon coast and I’ve probably visited every lighthouse in the state!!! LOVE IT! The eastern lighthouses are so different!!!
Do it now! Do it now! And I want an invite :)
I really love that pic of the blue stairs – if it were cropped or altered at the top I would totally buy that as a print and hang it on my wall – everything in my room is some shade of blue or black :)
Great photos! You looks so blonde and tan! I never knew that about the patterns of a lighthouse. I’ve also never been to a lighthouse.
I love your pics!! They look AWESOME! And if you need a dress, let me know… Mine is stuffed in a closet somewhere.
Also, if you love lighthouses, come out west to visit us and we’ll make you walk the 300 stairs to the Pt Reyes lighthouse. It’s AWESOME.
I adore lighthouses. I DID get married at a lighthouse, although it was on land and here in MD. Great photos as always!
Oh, how I love that lighthouse. I grew up in the area and went inside on a Project O trip at least a few years ago. (okay, 20 years ago) I always loved looking out on that house on the water and thinking about what it would have been like to live there, ghost and all. Looks exactly the same as I remember.
I don’t care what you say, I still think the Lighthouse is Haunted.