Stepping Stones Lighthouse is a very old Victorian-style lighthouse built on a series of rocky reefs in Long Island Sound, in Nassau County, New York. The lighthouse is square-shaped and made of red brick, standing one-and-a-half stories high. The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse is a virtual twin of this structure.
It was originally lit in 1877, and automated in 1967. It remains in use today, under the management of the United States Coast Guard. It is not open to the public. The lighthouse is located at 40° 49′ 28′′ N, 73° 46′ 29′′ W, shows an occulting green light 46 feet above the water, with an 8 mile visible range. It is light list number 21505.
The reef upon which it sits got its name from ancient Siwanoy (Minnefords) Native American legends. According to these legends the tribe used warriors and medicine and magic to chase the Devil out of present-day Westchester County, New York onto City Island (formerly Greater Minneford Island), surrounding him at Belden Point. The Devil then picked up huge boulders lying there and tossed them into Long Island Sound, and used them as stepping stones to make his escape. The natives gave the rocks the name "the Devil's Stepping Stones" and later it was dropped to just the Stepping Stones.
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Last updated: 10-15-2005 21:58:41
