Program

NYS Historic

Subject

Event, Industry & Commerce, Site

Location

Athens Riverfront Park, 4 N Water St, Athens, NY 12015, USA

Lat/Long

42.259207, -73.807736

Grant Recipient

Greene County Historical Society

On Nov. 1, 1874, the Hudson City Light, a lighthouse designed to mark the treacherous Middle Ground Flats on the Hudson River, was commissioned and first exhibited. Later known as the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, the Hudson City Light was built after Congress passed a bill in 1872 appropriating $35,000 for the purpose of its construction. (“A Lighthouse to be Built,” The Daily Star June 20, 1872.). Work began the following year.

In the Annual Report of the Lighthouse Board to the Secretary of the Treasury it was reported that, “the structure has been completed during the year, and the light was first exhibited on November 1^st, 1874,” (p. 29, 1875). Throughout the remainder of the 19th century and well into the 20th, the lighthouse provided guidance to ships traversing the Hudson River.

According to the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society’s website, the lighthouse “served as a manned facility until the 1950s, at which time the lighthouse was automated.” As of 2023, the Preservation Society owns and maintains the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, providing seasonal access to the historic structure which is registered as a national historic place.

Links

• Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society