Avery Point, New London Ledge, and New London Harbor

    Rob and I both took the Monday after Columbus Day off from work with a trip to the Berkshires in mind. We wanted it to be our final lighthouse hunt of the season. Yes, there is technically a lighthouse in western Mass – Mount Greylock. But after it was built, the powers that be decided it was too pretty and wouldn’t survive the water and winters in Boston, to it was installed at the top of the highest mountain in Massachusetts as a monument. Unfortunately, the weather was not mountain-top ideal – wind, rain, fog. We weren’t going to see any foliage in that weather. We also didn’t want to drive 3 hours each way and pay for a motel (even a cheap one) for nothing. Even though the weather was going to be terrible no matter which direction we went in, we still had a day off. As always, Rob came up with a brilliant plan.

    For our Berkshires trip, we had also planned a side stop to a book barn over the New York border. The only type of destination we love more than lighthouses is bookstores, so he searched for other book barns in the area (yes, we’ve already visited the Montague Book Mill near Amherst). He found the Book Barn in Niantic, CT. And there just happens to be three lighthouses nearby. Hot dang!

    All three lights can be viewed from the University of Connecticut in Groton, overlooking the Thames River. This is the ideal viewing place – it’s open to the public and parking free. You will see the first two from the lot – New London Harbor (or “Pequot Avenue,” 1801) on the western side, and New LondonLedge (1909) in the middle of the river. Walk along the water and you’ll arrive at Avery Point Lighthouse (1944).

    N.L. Harbor is a classic conical white tower. The original 1761 structure was the first lighthouse built in Connecticut and the fourth in the U.S., but only lasted until 1800. The current tower is the tallest in the state and, incredibly, still uses the fourth order Fresnel lens from 1851, despite being automated in 1917. The light and land are privately owned, but this past summer the New London Maritime Society gave the first ever tours.

    N.L. Ledge was built so close to N.L. Harbor because the first light could not prevent ships from crashing into the coast. The local citizens begged for over 100 years for another lighthouse. When their wish was finally granted, they wouldn’t accept any old lighthouse – it had to fit in with the neighborhood. Apparently, beggars can be choosers. Hence the mansion-style structure with a tower. Tours are given three days a week in summer and Saturdays in fall.

    The UConn campus is home to Avery Point Lighthouse. It’s not an official light – it was built in 1944, only in use until 1967, and left to rot until the 90s. The many lighthouses that have been rescued, restored and cared-for are testament to how much Americans treasure their local history. This one is no exception. Half a million dollars and many years later, local volunteers and craftsman have rebuilt this with their time and resources. The small tower even contains a beautiful solar-powered, hanging LED lantern. Unfortunately, the tower is closed to visitors. But you can still sneak a peek in the window.

Avery Point also gives visitors the advantage of seeing two other lighthouses in the distance in Long Island Sound – Race Rock and Little Gull Island.

    The Book Barn was a half hour drive, and we spent the rest of the afternoon exploring the Halloween-decorated grounds and buildings full of books. They even had a couple of lighthouses in their garden.

One of the many cats.

The bill goat:

When Rob saw this he declared, “these people are nerds. Card-carrying nerds. Love it!”

    What we loved even more were the prices. $1 paperbacks. $5-6 hard covers. But out of all the books we bought, we were most pleased with Vols. 1 and 6 of the Durants’ The Story of Civilization… for $3 each! I repeat, hot dang! Now our collection is complete.

    We ate at Charlie’s Place across the street (excellent), drove home just as the rain was starting, and spent the night watching the first season of Heroes.
And that, my friends, is how you spend a day off.