National Register of Historic Places
Open House – see website for schedule
Built in 1802, Faulkner’s Island Lighthouse is Connecticut’s second oldest lighthouse tower and is the only active light station on an island in the state. Faulkner’s Island is about three and one half miles offshore from Guilford. In the early 19th century, many vessels negotiating Long Island Sound were wrecked on the rocks around the three-acre island, prompting the Lighthouse Establishment to erect a 40-foot stone lighthouse in 1802. The beacon was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, and the island was purchased from Medad Stone for $325.
In 1991, the Faulkner’s Light Brigade was formed as a commission of the Guilford Preservation Alliance to save the lighthouse structure. A restoration was completed in 1999.
The island is part of the Stewart B. McKinney National Wildlife Refuge, and has one of the largest breeding colonies of roseate terns, an endangered species, in the northeastern United States. Access to the island is restricted during nesting season from May to August.