Rondout Lighthouse: A Photographic Study

July 04, 2026 • Leave a Comment

The historic Rondout Lighthouse is located at Kingston, New York along on the west side of the Hudson River. The lighthouse marks the entrance and tidal flats of the Rondout Creek. It is one of only seven lighthouses remaining on the Hudson River. It is still operational as a navigational light.

Photograph of the Rondout Lighthouse in Kingston, New York in the Hudson Valley.

The first Rondout Lighthouse, made of wood, was constructed in 1837 and operated until 1867. After the first lighthouse was damaged in a storm, a second Rondout Lighthouse, made of bluestone, was constructed in 1867. This second lighthouse operated until 1915.

The third, and current, lighthouse was constructed in 1915 after the harbor entrance was realigned. It is set on a concrete pier at the end of a dike wall that extends from the Rondout Creek into the Hudson River.

“Construction of the lighthouse, which is set on a concrete pier with wood piles driven nearly thirty feet into the river, became necessary when the Army Corp of Engineers extended the north dike at Rondout Creek into the river. This area where the Hudson meets the creek has always been a heavily traveled section, where barges reaching the end of the Delaware and Hudson Canal transferred cargo to sloops and steam boats or were met by river tugboats.”

The two-story brick building consists of a cellar, a watch room and a lantern room. The light is still in operation at the top of the tower in the lantern room.

“The base of the square tower serves as the entrance into the building. The stairs inside the tower allow access to all the levels in the structure. The walls of the tower are lined with white, ceramic, glazed tiles. The square tower is located on the east façade of the building. There are three portholes at the top of the tower in front, one porthole on one side and three on the other side of the watch room.

The building has a total of twenty-one windows, including two roof dormers. There are four bays on the northeast and southwest facades. The southeast and northwest facades have three bays each. The roof dormers are located on the northeast and southwest sides of the roof. A covered porch extends from the base of the tower on the southeast facade. An automatic fog signal is located on the roof of the porch.

A coal furnace in the cellar provided the lighthouse with steam radiation heat. Two cisterns collected rain water for general purposes. The kitchen on the first floor was modernized in the 1950's and bottled gas was supplied for the gas range. The plumbing system for the bath on the second floor was updated at the same time. Electricity became available for the household in the late 19/40's. The second floor had three bedrooms and an attic had an additional cistern.”

Lighthouse keepers of the Rondout Lighthouse included James B. Murdock (1915-1923); Ernest Bloom (1923-1935); Robert L. Howard, who died of stroke after a fall on the ice (1935-1945); Albert H. Passel (1945-1946); and Herman Lange, a civilian keeper (1946-1954).

The current lighthouse was automated in 1954, after which it lay mostly abandoned until the 1980s. At that time the Hudson River Maritime Museum (HRMM) initiated some preservation efforts. It leased the building from the Coast Guard, and replaced the slate roof and furnished the interior and began giving tours.

Under the provisions of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act (NHLPA) of 2000, there was “a mechanism for the disposal of Federally-owned historic light stations that have been declared excess to the needs of the responsible agency.” The NHLPA recognized “the cultural, recreational, and educational value associated with historic light station properties by allowing them to be transferred at no cost to Federal agencies, State and local governments, nonprofit corporations, educational agencies, and community development organizations.”

Any eligible entity that received ownership of a lighthouse had to comply with conditions set forth in the NHLPA and had to be financially able to maintain the historic light station. The eligible entity to which the historic light station was conveyed had to make the station available for education, park, recreation, cultural, or historic preservation purposes for the general public at reasonable times and under reasonable conditions.

The City of Kingston received ownership of the Rondout Lighthouse on June 19, 2002.

The Rondout Lighthouse, accessible only by boat, is currently owned by the City of Kingston and is operated by the Hudson River Maritime Museum. The museum offers interior tours of the lighthouse from the first floor up to the observation deck. Visit the museum website at www.hrmm.org for more information.

The Rondout Lighthouse is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.