Gardiners Point Island
Encyclopedia
Gardiners Point Island is an island in Block Island Sound
that was the former location of the Gardiner Island Lighthouse as well as Fort Tyler.
For many years the island was connected via a shoal
to Gardiners Island
and as such it is under the jurisdiction of East Hampton (town), New York
. In 1851 the federal government purchased 14 acres (56,656 m²) on the peninsula from the Gardiners for $400 with the lighthouse first being lit in 1855 after a construction expenditure of $7,000.
The lighthouse was in 28 feet (8.5 m) square, 1½ story brick building and had a sixth order Fresnel Lens, fixed white light 33 feet (10.1 m) above sea level.
A March 1888 Nor'easter
caused a break in the peninsula permanently turning the point into an island. Between 1890 and 1893 the island was shrinking at the rate of 10⅔ feet per year. On March 7, 1894 the lighthouse was abandoned and shortly afterwards fell into the ocean.
A lighted buoy was then moored 1/4 miles northeast of the lighthouse.
During the Spanish-American War
the War Department
appropriated $500,000 to build the Fort Tyler battery on the island (named for former President John Tyler
who had married Julia Gardiner Tyler
who had been born on Gardiners Island).
The shifting sands caused problems for the fort as well and it was abandoned in the late 1920s. In 1921 its guns included Battery Edmund Smith, 2 - 8" Disappearing, 2 - 5" (or possibly 8") Pedestal
In 1938 the island was declared a National Bird Refuge by Franklin Roosevelt and transferred to the Agriculture Department.
During World War II
the fort was used for target practice and was reduced to its present state where it is popularly called "The Ruins."
The state of New York briefly considered turning it into a park but it is deemed a navigational hazard because of the possibilities of unexploded ordnance
. It is privately owned now.
Block Island Sound
Block Island Sound is a strait in the open Atlantic Ocean, approximately wide, separating Block Island from the coast of Rhode Island in the United States...
that was the former location of the Gardiner Island Lighthouse as well as Fort Tyler.
For many years the island was connected via a shoal
Shoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
to Gardiners Island
Gardiners Island
Gardiners Island is a small island in the town of East Hampton, New York, in eastern Suffolk County; it is located in Gardiners Bay between the two peninsulas at the eastern end of Long Island. It is long, wide and has of coastline...
and as such it is under the jurisdiction of East Hampton (town), New York
East Hampton (town), New York
The Town of East Hampton is located in southeastern Suffolk County, New York, at the eastern end of the South Shore of Long Island. It is the easternmost town in the state of New York...
. In 1851 the federal government purchased 14 acres (56,656 m²) on the peninsula from the Gardiners for $400 with the lighthouse first being lit in 1855 after a construction expenditure of $7,000.
The lighthouse was in 28 feet (8.5 m) square, 1½ story brick building and had a sixth order Fresnel Lens, fixed white light 33 feet (10.1 m) above sea level.
A March 1888 Nor'easter
Nor'easter
A nor'easter is a type of macro-scale storm along the East Coast of the United States and Atlantic Canada, so named because the storm travels to the northeast from the south and the winds come from the northeast, especially in the coastal areas of the Northeastern United States and Atlantic Canada...
caused a break in the peninsula permanently turning the point into an island. Between 1890 and 1893 the island was shrinking at the rate of 10⅔ feet per year. On March 7, 1894 the lighthouse was abandoned and shortly afterwards fell into the ocean.
A lighted buoy was then moored 1/4 miles northeast of the lighthouse.
During the Spanish-American War
Spanish-American War
The Spanish–American War was a conflict in 1898 between Spain and the United States, effectively the result of American intervention in the ongoing Cuban War of Independence...
the War Department
United States Department of War
The United States Department of War, also called the War Department , was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army...
appropriated $500,000 to build the Fort Tyler battery on the island (named for former President John Tyler
John Tyler
John Tyler was the tenth President of the United States . A native of Virginia, Tyler served as a state legislator, governor, U.S. representative, and U.S. senator before being elected Vice President . He was the first to succeed to the office of President following the death of a predecessor...
who had married Julia Gardiner Tyler
Julia Gardiner Tyler
Julia Gardiner Tyler , second wife of John Tyler, was First Lady of the United States from June 26, 1844, to March 4, 1845.-Early life:...
who had been born on Gardiners Island).
The shifting sands caused problems for the fort as well and it was abandoned in the late 1920s. In 1921 its guns included Battery Edmund Smith, 2 - 8" Disappearing, 2 - 5" (or possibly 8") Pedestal
In 1938 the island was declared a National Bird Refuge by Franklin Roosevelt and transferred to the Agriculture Department.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the fort was used for target practice and was reduced to its present state where it is popularly called "The Ruins."
The state of New York briefly considered turning it into a park but it is deemed a navigational hazard because of the possibilities of unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance
Unexploded ordnance are explosive weapons that did not explode when they were employed and still pose a risk of detonation, potentially many decades after they were used or discarded.While "UXO" is widely and informally used, munitions and explosives of...
. It is privately owned now.