The Maid of the Meadows
By Derrick Mead

Twentieth Century technology swept along the Hudson River so quickly that it left some of the river’s most romantic historical icons—iceboats, packet boats, and lighthouses among them—stranded on islands of unplanned obsolescence. One of these local landmarks left largely to the ravages of time since its decommissioning in 1965 has been the focus of much attention by a group of area residents dedicated to its restoration. The Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, originally constructed in 1871, is moving slowly back towards usefulness, though hardly in its original capacity.

Dubbed “The Maid of the Meadows,” and rising fifty-three feet above the shallow waters to the east of a large expanse of mud flats near the town of Esopus, the lighthouse was constructed as both a real working structure and a full time residence for a keeper and family. It sat securely placed on two hundred and fifty wooden pilings driven forty feet in to the riverbed. It boasted a prominent octagonal light tower, mansard roof, double plastered walls to insulate the structure form the winter winds that funneled along the course of the river, and a clapboard exterior. Its interior design resembled many similar period homes.

In 1939, management of the station was passed to the US Coast Guard, which would see it manned by enlisted men until it was closed in 1965, after the advent of Global Positioning Systems aboard even tiny dinghies rendered it redundant for safe river navigation. The structure then sat dormant and unused save as a mounting post for an automated navigational light marker, which it still bears, until 1979. It was then that rumors of the possibility of its demolition by the Coast Guard moved a group of local citizens to successfully petition for the lighthouse to be listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. In 1990, a niece of a former civilian keeper, Arline Fitzpatrick, began action within the Town of Esopus government that led to the formation of a volunteer group with members from both sides of the river, the Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission (SELC), that would go on to lease the facility from the Coast Guard in 1991. The goal: to assume ownership and eventually make the lighthouse into a public facility.

The SELC undertook major renovations on the strength of donations and grants during a transitional stage that lasted almost ten years. A critical turning point was finally reached in the summer of 2000, with the passage in Washington, D.C. of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. This piece of legislation transferred Federal management of the house from the Coast Guard to the Government Services Administration, and effectively opened the door for the SELC to take official control. The group was identified as a “museum and education institution” by the New York State Board of Regents in July of 2001 after it demonstrated its intentions to restore and showcase the lighthouse’s historical significance for the public. In September of this year a ceremony was held at the facility to present official stewardship at the site to the Commission.

Extensive renovations made under the auspices of the SELC include major structural repair to bolster a sagging southwest corner, measured at one point as sixteen inches below the rest of the building’s foundation, as well as replacement of the roof and windows. Electrical power has been restored with a new diesel generator, and plans exist for the re-installment of a new navigation light in the traditional lantern room, which has stood empty and unlit since 1965. Other near term goals include the restoration of the interior of the facility and the installation of heating and potable water systems. Donations of time and materials from builders and contractors, as opposed to strictly financial contributions, have been a significant factor in the ongoing process.

The Save the Esopus Lighthouse Committee sincerely hopes that a fully restored facility can become a scenic and educational resource for the area, and the executive director of the SELC, Sharon Jones, expects that three more seasons of work will be needed before the lighthouse is prepared for public access. At the moment, no work can go on, because the existing docks must be removed each winter. Repairs to the granite pylon, the “island” on which the house stands, installation of restrooms, and more permanent floating docking facilities are all major projects necessary before the restored lighthouse can be opened to the general public. A cable boat system that would ferry guests to the station and possible future use as a bed and breakfast for fundraising purposes are also on the drawing board within the organization. In a related development, a coalition called Lighthouses of the Hudson River has recently been formed, with the hope of uniting restoration efforts at stations like the “Maid” with other groups responsible for lighthouses along the length of the River.

For now, the lighthouse can be viewed year round from the eastern shore of the Hudson River at Mills Mansion in Staatsburg, or on the west from Lighthouse Park, off Route 9W in the town of Esopus. This one-hundred-acre preserve is owned and operated by Scenic Hudson. For more information, and to find out about supporting the ongoing efforts at the Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, contact the Save Esopus Lighthouse Commission at their website boasting their new name: www.esopusmeadowslighthouse.org.