Stepping Stones Lighthouse in Limbo
By Sue Clark on Aug 9, 2007 in News 
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The New York Times has a nice story about the application of North Hempstead, and the waits for final approval involved, for the eventual ownership of Stepping Stones Lighthouse. When the lighthouse was excessed last summer, the town was among six applicants for the beautifully named lighthouse, and after winnowing through the interested parties, the Park Service determined that North Hampstead would be the best owner for this offshore light, located in Long Island Sound, NY. The town, however, is still awaiting final approval.
After having submitted an updated application (the Park Service requested more information), the town fathers paid a site visit, vividly described in the story as having to bang on the door to scatter the roadents before going inside. Broken shells from gulls’ meals litter the site, and weeds are growing in the building’s rain gutters.
The 1.5 story Second Empire Victorian style building, constructed in 1875, has been vacant since 1967, when the Coast Guard automated the light. Time and nature have taken their toll on this sentinel, and the boarded up windows don’t let in much light. But the town and its citizens are getting excited about the restoration, preparing to line up grants for the estimated $4 million dollar renovation.
Much more on Stepping Stones Lighthouse can be found at Lighthouse Friends, including this excerpt on how the name came to be:
An old Native American legend tells of how the Siwanoy Indians duked it out with Habboamoko, the devil, for possession of Connecticut. While Habboamoko had many tricks, the Siwanoy, through their own potions and wizardry were able to back the old devil up against Long Island Sound. Things looked rather bleak for Habboamoko, when he happened to look over his shoulder at low tide toward Long Island and noticed a trail of stepping stones. He danced across the rocks and fled to Long Island. So angry at the Siwanoy was he, that he flung every boulder he could find back across the sound. His aim was not true, but his power was strong and the boulders were flung as far as Maine, littering New England with rock formations.
Perhaps due to the legend, or the deadly nor’easters which sneak up on the sound, Colonial maps of the area named Long Island Sound, “Devil’s Belt,” and the reefs skipping across it, “Devil’s Stepping Stones.”
On a side note, now I know who to blame for all the rocks in my adopted state of Maine. And here I thought the glaciers brought them.
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