The 25 Oldest Lighthouses in America

Ranked by the construction year of the structure standing today, for every lighthouse in the United States that we could confirm is still standing. Sandy Hook Light leads, built 1764; number 25 is Old Cape Romain Lighthouse, built 1827. Dates or measurements marked uncertain in the source are left out rather than guessed Each entry was checked against current sources (park services, historic registers, preservation societies), and anything demolished, replaced or uncertain is left out. Each entry links to its own page with coordinates, sources and image licences.

1. 1. Sandy Hook Light

   Built 1764 · Monmouth County, New Jersey · National Register

2. 

   2. Boston Light

   Built 1783 · Plymouth County, Massachusetts · National Register

   Photo: MBTafan2011 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 3.0)

3. 

   3. Portland Head Light

   Built 1791 · Cumberland County, Maine · National Register

   Photo: Aniarku / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

4. 

   4. Old Cape Henry Lighthouse

   Built 1792 · Virginia Beach County, Virginia · National Register

   Photo: Doug Kerr from Albany, NY, United States / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)

5. 

   5. Montauk Point Light

   Built 1796 · Suffolk County, New York · National Register

   Photo: Wolfgang Wander / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

6. 

   6. Eatons Neck Light

   Built 1798 · Suffolk County, New York · National Register

   Photo: skapur / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)

7. 

   7. New London Harbor Light

   Built 1801 · Southeastern Connecticut County, Connecticut · National Register

   Photo: Russ / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

8. 

   8. Falkner Island Light

   Built 1802 · South Central Connecticut County, Connecticut · National Register

   Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

9. 

   9. Old Point Comfort Light

   Built 1802 · Hampton County, Virginia · National Register

   Photo: Acroterion / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

10. 

    10. New Point Comfort Light

    Built 1804 · Mathews County, Virginia · National Register

    Photo: Coastalsteve984 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

11. 11. Old Scituate Light

    Built 1811 · Plymouth County, Massachusetts · National Register

12. 12. Bald Head Lighthouse

    Built 1817 · Brunswick County, North Carolina · National Register

13. 13. Bird Island Light

    Built 1819 · Plymouth County, Massachusetts · National Register

14. 

    14. Bakers Island Light

    Built 1820 · Essex County, Massachusetts · National Register

    Photo: US Coast Guard / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

15. 

    15. Sapelo Island Light

    Built 1820 · McIntosh County, Georgia · National Register

    Photo: Bubba73 (Jud McCranie) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0)

16. 

    16. Burnt Island Light

    Built 1821 · Lincoln County, Maine · National Register

    Photo: ShagVT / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

17. 17. Marblehead Light

    Built 1821 · Ottawa County, Ohio · National Register

18. 

    18. Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse

    Built 1822 · Monroe County, New York · National Register

    Photo: Matthew D. Wilson (LtPowers) / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

19. 

    19. Black Rock Harbor Light

    Built 1823 · Greater Bridgeport County, Connecticut

    Photo: Jmob at English Wikipedia / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.5)

20. 

    20. Ocracoke Light

    Built 1823 · Hyde County, North Carolina · National Register

    Photo: Henryhartley / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

21. 

    21. Prudence Island Light

    Built 1823 · Newport County, Rhode Island · National Register

    Photo: Kenneth C. Zirkel / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)

22. 

    22. Pooles Island Light

    Built 1825 · Harford County, Maryland · National Register

    Photo: U. S. Army / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

23. 

    23. Stony Point Light

    Built 1826 · Rockland County, New York · National Register

    Photo: Tony / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)

24. 24. Concord Point Light

    Built 1827 · Harford County, Maryland · National Register

25. 

    25. Old Cape Romain Lighthouse

    Built 1827 · Charleston County, South Carolina

    Photo: Unknown authorUnknown author / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)

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