New London Ledge Lighthouse has guarded the entrance to Connecticut’s Thames River since 1909. The three-story, 11-room, Second Empire-style building sits about a mile off Avery Point, and was constructed under the direction of well-known engineer Capt. Thomas A. Scott, who also built nearby Race Rock Light. To create the foundation in 1908, a steel caisson was secured to the shallow ledge for which the light is named and filled with cement.

The lighthouse was originally outfitted with a fourth-order Fresnel lens (now on display at the New London Customs House Museum), which flashed three white lights followed by one red light every 30 seconds. In 1911, a foghorn was added. For its first 50 years of existence, Ledge Light was operated by civilian keepers who lived in the building year-round. In 1959, keeper duties were taken over by the Coast Guard until the light’s automation in 1987.

Over the years, the rugged structure has withstood many extreme storms, including the terrifying Hurricane of 1938, when waves breached the second floor.

Like many lighthouses, Ledge Light comes with a ghost story. Strange occurrences at the light are attributed to a possibly fictitious lightkeeper named John “Ernie” Randolph, who purportedly was stationed for a few months at Ledge Light in the 1920’s or ‘30’s with a girlfriend or wife half his age. As the story goes, the young woman took off with a local ferry captain, and “Ernie,” in his grief, threw himself into the ocean.

While the Coast Guard still maintains the lighthouse’s flashing light as a working aid to navigation, ownership of the building was transferred to the New London Maritime Society, which leases it to the volunteer-run Ledge Light Foundation, in 2015. The Foundation restores and cares for maintenance of the structure, which now serves as a museum containing historic exhibits and artifacts.

Tours of Ledge Light are offered by the New London Maritime Society and the Ledge Light Foundation.