The Selkirk Lighthouse
The Lighthouse which is rumored to be haunted was completed and activated in August 1838. It is one of three lighthouses in the North East that vistors can rent for overnight stays. For more information on staying with us please contact our marina office at 315-298-6688.
The Selkirk Lighthouse: Maximum Occupancy 6 Guests
Check in at 4 PM and check out is 1 PM
NO Pets
April - July
Sunday - Thursday $175 for 2 guests $55 per additional guest
$175 for 2 guests $55 per additional guestFriday - Saturday$225 for 2 guests $55 per additional guest
$225 for 2 guests $55 per additional guestWeekly $1400
$1400August - October
Sunday - Thursday $175 for 2 guests $55 per additional guest
$175 for 2 guests $55 per additional guestFriday - Saturday$225 for 2 guests $55 per additional guest
$225 for 2 guests $55 per additional guest History Of Selkirk Lighthouse
- Early History
The site which eventually became home to the Selkirk Lighthouse was visited first by Champlain and the Hurons in October, 1615. The land north of the Salmon River was purchased from the Oneida, Onondaga and Cayuga tribes by New York's Governor George Clinton in 1788. The first permanent white settlement was established at the mouth of the Salmon River in 1801. Initially, the fantastic Atlantic Salmon fishing was the main economic attraction while some settlers undertook farming nearby. Before long it became a haven for smugglers, particularly during the War of 1812. In the early 1830's a government engineer determined that the harbor was deep enough that it could safely harbor 30 ships. On September 1, 1837 The Federal Government purchased the land. The engineers recommendations started the development of plans for a lighthouse complete with Customs Office, and dredging of a channel along the Southside of the estuary known as Selkirk Lake nearly a mile upriver to today's bridges at NY State Route 3.- Proposal
Jacob Gould who was the superintendent of lighthouse on Lake Ontario published an official notice on September 4, 1837 stating " Proposals will be received by me at Rochester until the 10th day of October next, for building a Dwelling and Beacon Light House on Lake Ontario, at the junction of the Salmon River with said Lake in the village of Port Ontario, in the county of Oswego, in said state, of the following description, viz: - The dwelling house to be of stone, 25 feet wide by thirty feet long from outside to outside. The outside walls to be eighteen inches thick, laid in good lime mortar, and pointed in good & workmanlike manner.” - The Builders
The local contractors who successfully bid the job were Joseph Gibbs and Abner French, although a local stonemason, Jabez Meacham, actually did most of the work. Abner French was elected first president of Pulaski on its incorporation in 1832, and was also the founding father and prime mover in spreading the Masonic movement throughout the eastern basin from Pulaski, where he founded Fellowship Lodge #288 on June 5, 1817. John Box, a blacksmith from Port Ontario constructed the wrought iron railings that both support the lantern structure and secure the platform around its outside.- Lighting Systems
The original light was identical to the one in service at Horse Island Lighthouse, a 14" diameter parabolic reflector/lamp system utilizing eight lamps and reflectors, showing a fixed white light for 14 miles. Four reflectors faced the lake and two were positioned on each side. This apparatus initially burned whale oil from a 24-hour reservoir and utilized a secondary frost lamp in particularly cold weather to warm the main lamp, assisting combustion in temperatures that would thicken fuel standing in the reservoir. The 1858 Light List reports that the lamp system was upgraded during 1855 with replacement of the reflectors by a Hains Mineral Oil fountain lamp, a single burner, and a 270-degree, 6th order Fresnel lens, 18" in height and approximately 12" in diameter. - Keepers
Lewis Conant became Selkirk's first keeper on activation in August, 1838 Relieved by Lucius B. Cole on July 20, 1849 Charles M. Lewis assumed command on October 6, 1854 Relieved by A. H. Weed on March 2, 1857 Operating seasonally during the shipping season, keepers were paid $350 per year for 8-9 months of duty, then returned to their normal homes in Pulaski/Richland for the winter. The lighthouse was officially de-activated in 1858, although Coast Guard records describe its apparent conversion to Lake Ontario's second activated lifesaving station at the beginning of the annual navigation season on April 1, 1877.- Designated Historic Landmark
The Selkirk Lighthouse was dedicated as a "Designated Historic Landmark" by the Oswego Heritage Foundation in November, 1976, and elected to the National Register of Historic Places in March, 1979.- Official Re-activation
August 6, 1989 the lighthouse officially activated a Coast Guard approved photocell-actuated lamp with automated bulb-changer and are back on the NOAA charts as a Class II navigation aid.
