New Windows For Roundout Lighthouse
By Sue Clark on Jun 24, 2009 in News 
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Bids Being Accepted For Work
The Rondout Creek Lighthouse, New York, informally known as the Kingston Lighthouse, will be getting new windows as soon as bids are closed on the project. The lighthouse on the Hudson River will also have work done on the front portico. Years of harsh weather have battered the windows, but at least not as badly as the time the lighthouse itself was battered by a schooner. The project is expected to being in mid to late summer, and should take about 70 days to complete.
The money for the work is funded with a grant of $110,685 from the New York Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation. That money is being matched by the city of Kingston with in-kind services, money from fundraising efforts, and around $75,000 in borrowing already authorized by the Common Council.
Architect Scott Dutton, who has drawn up plans for restoration, said the hope is to restore or replace all 35 windows at the lighthouse. He added that the bid packages have been designed in a way where the worst windows will get replaced or restored, a sort of triage effort. The focus of the project is the front portico which needs full restoration.
The Lighthouse and the Schooner
One family served as lightkeepers at the Rondout Lightstation for nearly 60 years. George Murphy arrived in 1856 with his pregnant wife and two small children. Sadly, less than a year later he drowned while returning from a supply run. His wife, although she had two little ones and an infant, kept the light going. A halfhearted effort was made to replace her, but the townspeople said no, leave her, she’s good. She was officially appointed as Head Lightkeeper in 1857. She served until her retirement in 1905, at which point her youngest son was promoted from Assistant to Head Keeper. He served until he retired in 1923.
The townspeople were correct in saying to leave her on as Keeper. One morning, as she was working in the house, the bow of a schooner crashed through a window on the first floor and came sliding halfway into the room. Apparently the schooner had been forced over by a tug, and had nowhere to go but into the lighthouse. Repairs were soon made, but the light never missed being lit.
The lighthouse was transferred to the city of Kingston in 2002 under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, and is open for tours. The interior is furnished in 1930s era decor, and can be visited via a ferry at the city’s docks.
Credist: Kingston Lighthouse by Brockenbrough Photos. Some rights reserved. Historical information from Lighthouse Friends.
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