Little Gull Island Lighthouse

More from the Long Island lighthouse gallery: Little Gull Island marks the meeting of Long Island Sound and Block island Sound. One of the earliest sites for a U.S. lighted navigational aid, Little Gull was lit in 1806 by a much smaller tower. During The War Of 1812 much naval action took place between the British and American vessels just off this site. The tiny island was actually occupied by British troops in 1813, when they extinguished the light. The current lighthouse was constructed in 1868, it's design elements were often used in the next generation of the nations beacons.

Today Little Gull is the home of many, many gulls both little and large. It would appear as though "marking one's territory" is a rather frequent gull activity. (image better in large view)

Race Rock Lighthouse

Race Rock in the Town Of Southold has a unique bit of local history and lore. Completed in 1878 the last masonry constructed lighthouse (at a water-bound location) took over seven years to complete. (The engineers who designed the structure, Francis Hopkins Smith and Cpt. Thomas Albertson Scott, also designed the foundation for the Statue Of Liberty.) Prior to it's completion hundreds of shipwrecks occurred on the site. The most famous of the wrecks was the steamer "Atlantic" in which 45 people perished in 1846.

Legend has it that Race Rock is haunted. For many years Coast Guard personnel have reported strange happenings at the site. In 2004 the United States Coast Guard and the Atlantic Paranormal Society (TAPS) sent teams to investigate the lighthouse. In October 2004 the TV series "Ghost Hunters" aired a feature on Race Rock claiming that it did in fact appear to be haunted. Cameras even recorded chairs moving in an empty room. umm....

Sounds like a cool spot to spend Halloween!