Bridgeport Lighthouse

The Bridgeport Lighthouse, shown here in 1930, marked the entrance to the Bridgeport harbor for about 80 years.

First constructed in 1871 by the federal government, it ushered in a dramatic increase in harbor activity.

For a brief period, the Bridgeport lighthouse was one of the nation’s armed lights. During the Spanish American War, a battery of 10-inch guns were installed to protect the harbor from Spanish warships.

Just beyond the light is the ferryboat the Park City, which operated between Bridgeport and Port Jeffferson, Long Island.

The Bridgeport Lighthouse was demolished in 1953 after a fire.

Want to learn more about the Bridgeport Lighthouse? The Bridgeport History Center has the following material available:

• Newspaper Clipping File, “Lighthouses and Buoys” from the Bridgeport History Center colelction
• Bridgeport on the Sound, by Mary K. Witkowski and Bruce Williams.
• The Lighthouses of Connecticut by Jeremy D’Entremont
• Lighthouses of Southern New England: A Pictorial Guide by Courtney Thompson

Mary Witkowski

Mary K. Witkowski is the former Bridgeport City Historian and the Department Head of the Bridgeport History Center, Emeritus. She is the author of Bridgeport at Work, and the co-author with Bruce Williams of Bridgeport on the Sound. Mary has had a newspaper column in the Bridgeport News, a blog for the Connecticut Post, and a weekly spot on WICC. She continues to be involved in many community based activities and initiatives on local history and historic preservation.