Old Saybrook’s iconic Lynde Point Lighthouse is up for grabs

This is a carousel. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate

The Lynde Point Lighthouse at the entrance to the Connecticut River in Old Saybrook along with a duplex on the property photographed on June 7, 2023.

OLD SAYBROOK — The iconic Lynde Point Lighthouse is up for grabs for free to a qualifying government agency, municipality or nonprofit group that shows they can maintain it and open it to the public.

Three groups in town have submitted a "letter of interest" in the lighthouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The deadline is July 14 to send the send the letter.

The Borough of Fenwick, one of these groups, hopes to acquire it outright.

"We think we are the logical steward going forward of the lighthouse," said Newton Brainard, warden of Fenwick.

The giveaway of the Saybrook Inner [Lynde] Light is part of the General Services Administration's plan to unload six lighthouses. Another four lighthouses will be put up for auction.

The Inner Light, which stands at the mouth of the Connecticut River, is opposite the Saybrook Outer Light (Saybrook Breakwater Light), which is privately owned.

Modern navigational technology, such as GPS, has made lighthouses mostly obsolete, according to Paul Hughes of the GSA. The Aid to Navigation (ATON) (actual light, fog signal and associated equipment) will remain the property of the U.S. Coast Guard and remain active, he said.

The GSA has auctioned some 151 lighthouses to private parties or given them, at no cost, to nonprofit entities since 2000, under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, according to the GSA website.

So far, the town of Old Saybrook, the Borough of Fenwick and the Old Saybrook Historical Society have expressed interest in the white stone lighthouse, built in 1838.

And, Margaret "Bucky" Bock, 103, of Westbrook, granddaughter of John Ninde Buckridge, keeper of Lynde Lighthouse from 1883 to 1902, is a staunch supporter of preserving the beacon.

"Well, it's history," she said, simply.

Old Saybrook's first selectman seems to agree. "It's historic. It's iconic for Old Saybrook, of course," Old Saybrook First Selectman Carl Fortuna said.

"We're one of several that will be putting in a letter of interest," he said about the town's plans.

And while the stone lighthouse is advertised as "free," Fortuna noted that there may be hidden costs and said he has some concerns.

"Obviously it's a beautiful spot, but there's really not much beach there, and there's quite a current because it's on the river, so it's not like you can just go for a swim or put in a kayak," he said.

"But there are potentially some access issues, perhaps some easement issues," Fortuna said. "I'm sure there are some environmental concerns that we have to inspect. There's probably either lead paint and/or asbestos and/or PCBs that may need to be remediated. And then you have to maintain the lighthouse," Fortuna said.

In addition to the lighthouse, a two-story duplex with three bedrooms in each unit and a 1.5-story, two-car garage, both built in 1970, share the one-acre lot. The only access to the lighthouse is an easement on the private roadway, Sequassen Avenue, according to the GSA.

Fortuna would also like to see a comprehensive title search done on the property.

"I'm not trying to sound negative on it, I'm just saying it's not like, ‘Oh, my God, you know, we're getting this for free’ and …it may in fact be … more than free," he said.

Still, Fortuna said the town is compelled to put in the letter of interest: "We have to be interested. For the town of old Saybrook it's an iconic spot."

Lighthouses are important symbol to the town, Fortuna said, noting that the lighthouse on Connecticut's license plates, designed by an Old Saybrook resident J. H. Torrance Downes, is of the town's Outer Light, "Sparkplug," across from Lynde Point Lighthouse.

Meanwhile, the warden of the Borough of Fenwick said he believes the lighthouse should rightfully go to the tiny municipality of some 83 homes where it's located.

Fenwick Warden Newton Brainard said he, along with the Board of Burgesses, "have decided to take a hard look at acquiring the lighthouse — for the most basic reason is the lighthouse has since 1838 sat inside of our municipality, at the heart of our municipality and has been part of our municipality for … almost 200 years."

"So it makes no sense … to have any other entity own something in the middle of our borough," Brainard said.

Brainard said borough officials have no definite plans for the lighthouse at this point.

"We are in the investigation period of understanding what the asset is, what the potential cost, liabilities would be going forward," in addition to learning about what rights of access to the property would be, he said.

"But I really don't see a scenario where we wouldn't unless we found a horrific, outstanding liability that that would be something we couldn't overcome," he said.

Brainard said, as he sees it, the GSA is not asking much, so far.

"The only thing they would need is the ability to operate the light. But beyond that, I think it's kind of an open book" regarding public access.

He noted that the popular Fenwick Golf Course is open to the public.

"We are used to having the public use our amenities," he said, which helps defray the cost of upkeep. "And so, this would be no different."

The Old Saybrook Historical Society, which submitted a letter of interest, would not confirm whether the group aims to acquire the lighthouse.

However, a spokesperson said the group is interested in "being involved in efforts to preserve it" and "has a number of questions and realizes it is important to the history of the town," according to a written statement.

The historical society invites representatives from Old Saybrook government and representatives from the State Historic Preservation Office to join them to inspect the lighthouse.

Visits for interested parties will be scheduled by the General Services Administration sometime after July 14.