Ulster Park in Ulster County, New York — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)

Lighthouse Park

Esopus Meadows Lighthouse

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2010

1. Lighthouse Park Marker

Inscription.
Welcome. From this site, you can see the Esopus Lighthouse, which was built to warn captains of the shallow water or flats to the west. The present lighthouse was constructed in 1871 and closed in 1965, when automated lights replaced the lightkeeper.

This Park was created by Scenic Hudson, a Poughkeepsie non-profit environmental group dedicated to the preservation and enhancement of the Hudson River. The park was made possible through creative cooperation with the Town of Esopus, The Esopus Lighthouse Conservancy, and with the generous assistance of The Lila Acheson and DeWitt Wallace Fund for the Hudson Highlands, Hudson River Improvement Fund and Countryside Magazine.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Landmarks • Parks & Recreational Areas • Waterways & Vessels. In addition, it is included in the Lighthouses series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1871.

Location. 41° 52.127′ N, 73° 57.085′ W. Marker is in Ulster Park, New York, in Ulster County. It is on River Road (County Route 24) 1.4 miles east of Broadway (U.S. 9W), on the right when traveling east.

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Marker is located on the Lighthouse Park grounds, at the south end of the parking lot. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 255 River Road, Ulster Park NY 12487, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Upstate New York

and in the Hudson Valley.

It is also in the American Northeast,

in the Mid-Atlantic,

and on the Eastern Seaboard. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region,

North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Netherland

and also one of the original Thirteen Colonies.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 4 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Dutch Church - 1827 (approx. 1.4 miles away); Down by the River (approx. 1.6 miles away); Wilderstein's Boathouse (approx. 1.7 miles away); Wilderstein (approx. 1.9 miles away); Sojourner Truth (approx. 2½ miles away); a different marker also named Sojourner Truth (approx. 2.9 miles away); On This Site Stood (approx. 3½ miles away); Dewitt House (approx. 3.7 miles away). Touch for a list and map

Lighthouse Park Marker Kiosk (<i>marker on left; park & lighthouse news on right</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2010

2. Lighthouse Park Marker Kiosk (marker on left; park & lighthouse news on right)

of all markers in Ulster Park.

More about this marker. This marker is a large painted metal plaque, mounted at eye-level in a heavy-duty wooden kiosk.

Regarding Lighthouse Park. The Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, fondly nicknamed "The Maid of the Meadows", was completed in 1871. It replaced an earlier structure built in 1839 on land ceded to the United States Government from the state of New York. The lighthouse was needed on the Hudson River to warn mariners of the mud flats known as the Esopus Meadows located off the western shore of the river. The light tower extends above the living quarters with an octagonal deck housing the light. Situated 53 feet above the mean water line, the lantern room previously contained an optic fifth-order Fresnel lens providing a 270 degree arc of light that was visible for 12 nautical miles. The lighthouse was tended by resident keeper until
1965 when it was converted to an automatic solar powered system.

Also see . . .
1. Esopus Meadows Lighthouse. Hudson River Lighthouses website entry (Submitted on August 3, 2021, by Larry Gertner of New York, New York.)

2. Esopus Meadows Lighthouse.

Lighthouse Park Marker (<i>wide view from River Road</i>) image. Click for full size.

3. Lighthouse Park Marker (wide view from River Road)

The current lighthouse was completed in 1871 and is the last wooden lighthouse in existence on the Hudson and the only Hudson lighthouse with a clapboard exterior. It was lit in 1872. One of a group of lighthouses in the Northeast built to an award-winning design by a Vermont architect, Albert Dow, Esopus Meadows Light has sister lights at Rose Island Light, Sabin Point, Pomham Rocks, and Colchester Reef. Esopus Meadows Light was closed in 1965 and by the 1990s it had fallen into a state of disrepair. The most serious problem was the deterioration of the foundation, which had begun to fall apart due to ice damage. (Submitted on December 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)

Esopus Meadows Lighthouse (<i>view looking east across Hudson River from near marker</i>) image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 10, 2010

4. Esopus Meadows Lighthouse (view looking east across Hudson River from near marker)

Esopus Meadows mudflats and vegetation visible in foreground.

Credits. This page was last revised on August 3, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 520 times since then and 19 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on December 28, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.