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What Sleeping in a Lighthouse Is Really Like

Seven lighthouses remain on the Hudson River. Here's how to visit these enduring beacons that represent a fascinating bygone time.

by Olivia Abel
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I’ve been obsessed with lighthouses since I was a kid. Growing up in Westchester County, I’d often ride with my family down the West Side Highway to visit relatives in Manhattan. I always hoped that I’d be able to spot the famous “Little Red Lighthouse,” tucked neatly under the George Washington Bridge, on the east side of the Hudson. Sometimes I was successful. As I grew up, I sought out lighthouse visits on vacations and day trips. I wanted to climb them, photograph them, walk around them. Mostly, I wanted to imagine living in them.

In summer 2022 I got my chance. I spent a night in the Saugerties Lighthouse, an extraordinary 1835 red brick tower that has been transformed into a picture-perfect bed and breakfast. Set at the confluence of the Esopus Creek and the Hudson River, the lighthouse can only be reached by boat or by walking down a winding half-mile trail through an enchanting nature preserve with high reeds and rich vegetation. (Note: the river reigns here; twice a day some of the path will occasionally be under several inches of water. Visitors are encouraged to check the tidal charts.) And no matter how many times I’ve now made the trek, when I turn a corner and the lighthouse pops into view through the reeds, I feel giddy — and grateful for another opportunity to immerse myself in nature and nostalgia. 

The Saugerties Lighthouse can only be accessed by boat or by walking down a winding half-mile trail through an enchanting nature preserve with high reeds and rich vegetation. (Photo: Magda Durante)

I’m not alone in my love of lighthouses; they’ve been captivating people all around the world for centuries. At one point, the Hudson River was home to 14 lighthouses; only seven remain. The Stony Point Lighthouse was first, in 1826, but the others quickly followed. The Erie Canal had opened the previous year, setting up a transportation boom as an ever-growing number of boats carried goods from the Great Lakes to New York City and back. But by the mid-part of the 20th century, most of the lights became automated, and other new, more sophisticated navigational tools made the lighthouses obsolete. Many of them fell into disrepair before eventually being saved, often by new nonprofit groups that sprung up to rescue them.

The current Saugerties Lighthouse first shone its light in 1869. (A previous 1835 lighthouse, lit by five whale-oil lights, burned down in 1848.) More than 20 keepers — including several women — lived in the structure before it was decommissioned in 1954. It wasn’t until the 1940s that electricity, heat, plumbing, and a telephone modernized the lighthouse.

With a solar-powered beacon, the lighthouse was re-commissioned in 1990. Today it’s one of around 40 lighthouse B&Bs in the country. (Photo: Olivia Abel)

By 1964, the lighthouse had been abandoned, and the Coast Guard planned to demolish the building. Enter Ruth Reynolds Glunt. The wife of a longtime keeper, she fought to restore the lighthouse, which was ultimately placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1978. After extensive fundraising and restoration the building was completely reconstructed. The Coast Guard installed a solar-powered beacon, and the lighthouse was officially re-commissioned as an aid to navigation in 1990. It became a bed & breakfast a few years later, one of approximately 40 lighthouse B&Bs in the country.

Inside, the lighthouse has been restored to look as it might have in the early part of the 20th century, with simple Victorian furniture and lace curtains. A first-floor sitting area with ample windows has a dining table, binoculars, playing cards, and a selection of books. A small museum room showcases the history of the lighthouse and the Hudson’s steamboat era. Before the Covid pandemic, the two second-floor bedrooms could be rented separately. Now, only one party at a time rents out the entire lighthouse.

The lighthouse has been restored to look as it might have in the early part of the 20th century, with simple Victorian furniture and lace curtains. (Photo: Olivia Abel)

Current keepers Patrick and Anne Landewe and their son live in tight quarters on the other side of the building. Patrick came to the lighthouse as a single man in 2011. He quickly learned that the job of lighthouse keeper no longer focuses on keeping the light on “at any cost,” but is mostly a unique combination of tour guide, innkeeper, and jack of all trades. And conservationist. “Climate change is the biggest challenge we face in terms of historic conservation,” Patrick says, noting that the family stayed in the lighthouse during Hurricanes Irene (2011) and Sandy (2012), despite massive flooding on the first floor. “We know more storms like this are coming, and we are working to mitigate the effects.”

The lighthouse’s inviting riverside deck is open to the public every weekday. Five picnic tables, several fruit trees, and spectacular panoramic views set the scene at what one of my friends now refers to simply as “shangri-la.” There’s a lot to take in. Across the river, grand homes can be spotted, and looking south, one can see — barely — part of the Kingston-Rhinecliff Bridge. A steady stream of kayakers coming down the creek like to approach the lighthouse and speak to visitors on the deck. But evenings and weekends are reserved solely for overnight guests.

A steady stream of kayakers coming down the creek like to approach the lighthouse and speak to visitors on the deck. (Photo: Olivia Abel)

The night a friend and I stayed over, a thunderstorm rolled in at around 5 p.m. We sat in the east room and gazed in awe; being so close to the river made us feel like we were part of the storm. The weather quickly cleared, and we put on our bathing suits and explored the outdoor space. My friend spotted two beavers in the creek, and we sat and watched a giant osprey nest but didn’t see any action. We moved into the river and floated under the moonlight. And when I turned around and a giant barge silently plowed down the river so close to us, I was both exhilarated and terrified as I was rocked in its wake. Afterwards, wrapped tightly in our towels, we stared quietly into the night — gazing at a dazzling display of stars and various lights in the distance: the bridge, homes, a plane. The plaintive wail of a loon punctuated the silence.

There is no air conditioning at the lighthouse, but a constant breeze made for comfortable sleeping conditions. The following morning, we inadvertently slept through the sunrise and wandered downstairs. Patrick soon knocked and delivered a hearty breakfast: coffee, juice, yogurt, fruit, eggs, and a huge plate of homemade pancakes.

A hearty breakfast typically includes elements like coffee, juice, yogurt, fruit, eggs and a huge plate of homemade pancakes. (Photo: Olivia Abel)

Other visitors had returned to “our lighthouse,” and we chatted with them on the deck. My friend went for a swim and soon called out to me: “There’s a seal.” I was sure she was mistaken. Surely, I thought, there aren’t seals this far north in the Hudson. But as I waded into the water, I saw it for myself: my friend was swimming in circles with a large harbor seal.

Patrick later filled us in on the unprecedented story of the male seal who had — against all odds — traveled from Cape Cod to make his home at the lighthouse. Sometimes the seal is not seen for many months, but he always returns, much to the delight of surprised kayakers and Saugerties locals. “He’s very friendly,” says Patrick. “But the DEC cautions people not to get too close. The seal is a wild animal — one with sharp teeth.”

When it was time to leave, my friend and I slow-walked through the nature preserve to our car. We had been at the lighthouse for less than 24 hours, but the magnitude of the experience made it seem like we had spent days there. “Bucket list,” I announced. On the drive home we planned our next trip.

The film “Seven Sentinels: Lighthouses of the Hudson River” showcases the lights that remain among the dozens that once graced the Hudson. (Film: Jeff Mertz / Moonbow Imaging)

EXPLORING THE HUDSON RIVER LIGHTHOUSES 

Writer Olivia Abel visits the Hudson Athens Lighthouse. (Photo: Alexandre J. Petraglia)

In May 2024, this iconic beacon, an architectural brick and stone gem with a Mansard roof, was named one of the country’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust. Today it’s one of only two remaining lights in the middle of the river and is in danger of toppling into the water. The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society is focused on raising funds to help. In summer 2024, as the lighthouse celebrates its 150th anniversary, the Preservation Society is sponsoring “Waterfront Wednesdays” through August 28. Meet early at Henry Hudson Riverfront Park in Hudson for a free 5 -7 p.m. ride and tour. Or tour on an upcoming Saturday: Aug. 10, Aug. 25, Sept. 14, Sept. 28, and Oct. 12. An adult ticket costs $30. 

This 1915 brick structure, the last of the three lighthouses marking the entrance to the Rondout Creek, is only accessible by boat. Operated by the Hudson River Maritime Museum, the lighthouse contains period furnishings and exhibits. Book a scheduled tour on the museum’s solar-powered boat, Solaris, from mid-May through October. In August, multiple daily tours are available Wednesday to Sunday. The standard “Rondout Lighthouse Tour” offers an optional climb to the tower’s top observation deck. The two-hour Sunday-morning “Dual Lighthouse Cruise” offers visitors stunning views of the Rondout Lighthouse as well as the 1871 Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, the only wooden lighthouse left on the Hudson. Both tours are $35 for adults.

Nicknamed the “Maid of the Meadows,” this pretty 1871 lighthouse was built on the edge of the mud flats south of Port Ewen, where cattle once grazed. In addition to the Lighthouse Cruise offered by the Hudson River Maritime Museum, fans can get up close aboard the Rip Van Winkle out of Kingston. Occasionally, special tours of the lighthouse interior can be arranged through the Esopus Meadows Lighthouse.

The oldest lighthouse on the Hudson, this octagonal building sits on a peninsula jutting into Haverstraw Bay. First lit in 1826, the 30-foot white tower did its job to near perfection. It was manned for 99 years with only one serious incident, when the steamer Poughkeepsie ran aground in 1901. (That morning, Keeper Nancy Rose tended to the passengers who took shelter in her cottage until they could take a train to New York.) Visitors can walk up to the lighthouse, which is on the Stony Point Battlefield Historic Site, but tours are not being offered in 2024 due to construction. Still, the Historic Site is open Wednesdays to Sundays through mid-October, and the lighthouse gallery in the Battlefield Museum is well worth a visit.

In May 2024, Westchester County unveiled a complete $3.4 million inside-and-out restoration of the cast-iron tower that first lit up the Hudson in 1883. It was once located a half-mile offshore, but a now-demolished General Motors factory dumped landfill into the river, effectively moving the shoreline within a few feet of the light. Twelve keepers and their families lived in the seven-level structure during its 78 years of operation; the 1955 opening of the Tappan Zee Bridge left the light obsolete. Tours of the lighthouse have not yet resumed, but you can catch stunning views of the light from the Westchester RiverWalk. 

The 1942 children’s book classic The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge turned this little light, now part of Fort Washington Park, into a celebrity. First opened in 1921, it was put out of business just 10 years later when the George Washington Bridge was built. It was run by a part-time keeper and equipped with a battery-powered lamp and a fog bell. Thanks to an outpouring of public support, it was turned over to New York City’s Parks Department in 1951. It’s rarely open for tours, but if you catch one, you’ll be greeted by its 48 cast-iron-plate spiral steps, one of its original fixtures.

Olivia Abel is a staff copywriter at Scenic Hudson. A former editor-in-chief of Hudson Valley Magazine, she also teaches journalism and communications at Marist College. An avid hiker (and new pickleball junkie), she starts almost every morning at either Long Dock or Madam Brett Park.
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