Members of the U.S. Lighthouse Service and the U. S. Coast Guard have been the residing keepers, tending the light for those at sea. Whaling ships, steamers, submarines, fishing and sailing vessels of all kinds have passed this tower on Turtle Hill, guided and reassured by its presence. On land, generations of visitors have made the trek to Long Island’s easternmost tip, marveling at this lighthouse, the work of the keepers, and the beauty of Montauk Point.
MONTAUK LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERS
Members of the U.S. Lighthouse Service and the U. S. Coast Guard have been the residing keepers, tending the light for those at sea. Whaling ships, steamers, submarines, fishing and sailing vessels of all kinds have passed this tower on Turtle Hill, guided and reassured by its presence. On land, generations of visitors have made the trek to Long Island’s easternmost tip, marveling at this lighthouse, the work of the keepers, and the beauty of Montauk Point.
Automated by the Coast Guard in 1987, the Montauk Point Lighthouse no longer needs a lightkeeper; however, a keeper of its history is essential. Under a program to provide for the continued maintenance and preservation of this historic lighthouse, the Coast Guard transferred ownership of the lighthouse to the Montauk Historical Society in 1996.
