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The name of Noank, a village
of Groton, comes from the Mohegan Indian word for "point."
Noank was a busy port in the nineteenth century. To help mariners
enter the Mystic River and the harbor of Noank, Connecticut,
from Fisher's Island Sound, the federal government decided to
build a lighthouse at Morgan Point in 1831.
Land for the light station was purchased from shipbuilder
Roswell Avery Morgan, a descendant of an early settler of the
area, Deacon James Morgan.
The first lighthouse was a 25-foot white granite tower with
a separate six-room stone keeper's house. The tower held 10 lamps
and reflectors. The first keeper, Ezra Daboll, made some additions
to the house and was reimbursed for his expenses of $100.
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Daboll died in 1838 and was succeeded by his widow, Eliza,
who remained keeper until 1854. Lieut. George M. Bache reported
in 1838 that "the establishment is kept in great neatness
by the widow of the former keeper." Eliza Daboll had six
children, and her eldest daughter took great interest in maintaining
the light. The girl became known for her habit of singing loudly
while working at the lighthouse in foul weather.
There were complaints that Morgan Point's Light was too dim;
the nearby lights at New London and Stonington could be seen
from far greater distances. The situation was improved somewhat
in 1855 when a sixth-order Fresnel lens replaced the old array
of lamps and reflectors.
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Captain Silas Spicer, who became keeper in the 1850s, once
saw a burning vessel offshore. He quickly rowed to the ship and
rescued the captain, his wife and child, bringing them safely
back to the lighthouse. The grateful family spent a few days
recuperating at the lighthouse.
The shipbuilding industry was growing in Noank by the 1860s.
It was decided that a new lighthouse was needed, and construction
began in 1867. The new lighthouse, finished in 1868, was a two-story,
eight-room granite structure with a cast-iron light tower attached
to the front of the roof. The building's style was very similar
to others built in the same period at Sheffield Island, Block
Island, Great Captain Island and a few other locations.
The lighthouse was built under the supervision of a local
man named Henry Davis, who later became the U.S. Assistant Superintendent
of Lifesaving Stations.
Morgan Point Light had a second female keeper in Frances McDonald,
who took over for her husband Alexander, a Civil War veteran.
Frances McDonald kept the light from 1869 to 1871.
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She was replaced by her brother, Mystic native Thaddeus Pecor,
a Civil War veteran who served 48 years at the station. There
are rumors that the ghost of Keeper Pecor still frequents the
lighthouse.
One winter during Pecor's tenure, the survivors of a wreck
rowed to Morgan Point. The keeper had to cut the frozen clothing
and shoes from some of the frostbitten sailors.
- The light at Crooks Ledge today (listed
as "Noank Light 5")
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In 1921, the lighthouse was discontinued and replaced by an
automatic light to the east on Crooks Ledge. The lighthouse was
sold to a private party for $8,625. According to some sources,
the original lantern was destroyed in the hurricane of September
1938; others say it was removed in the 1920s.
- Circa 1960s
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- Jason Pilalas
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In 1991, the property was purchased by Jason Pilalas from
San Marino, California, a partner in an investment management
firm.
Pilalas grew up in Greenwich, Connecticut, near the Great
Captain Island Lighthouse that is almost identical to the one
at Morgan Point.
He set out to restore the exterior of the lighthouse to its
original appearance, while converting the interior to a comfortable
living space for his family. Herman Hassinger Architects of Moorestown,
NJ, were commissioned to do the renovation.
The interior was gutted to the granite walls. The rooms were
designed to create a more spacious feel and more interior light.
The first floor of the lighthouse became a living space and library,
while the upstairs was converted to bedrooms.
A new lantern room was fashioned of aluminum and glass from
U.S. Lighthouse Service designs, at a cost of $35,000. An extension
including a master bedroom and office was added at the back of
the lighthouse.
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The Pilalas family summers at Morgan Point. Jason Pilalas
has said, "I couldn't be happier. I get so excited every
time I come here."
The lighthouse is the setting for an annual Fourth of July
party. Rena Pilalas, Jason's wife, told Coastal Living magazine,
"They sleep on couches, they sleep on the floor. They don't
care -- they just like being here."
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- Inside the lighthouse
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- Installation of the new lantern (courtesy of the
Pilalases)
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- Inside the lantern room
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The grounds of Morgan Point Light are closed to the public,
and the lighthouse is difficult to see from any point on the
shore.
It can be viewed from the Sabino,
a vintage steamboat cruising the Mystic River from the Mystic
Seaport Museum, and from various other excursion boats in the
area including occasional lighthouse cruises offered by Capt. John's
Sport Fishing Center in Waterford. Jason Pilalas occasionally
fires a 10-gauge cannon to entertain tour boat passengers.
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Two views from the lantern:
The Noank Historical Society Museum houses materials relating
to the history of Morgan Point Light. The museum is open in the
summer.
Noank Historical Society Museum
P.O. Box 9454
17 Sylvan Street
Noank, Connecticut 06340
You can read much more about this lighthouse in the book The Lighthouses
of Connecticut by Jeremy D'Entremont.
Keepers: Ezra Daboll (1831-1838); Eliza Daboll
(1838-1854); Silas Spicer (1854-1860); E. D. Barker (1860-1867);
Alexander McDonald (1867-1869); Frances McDonald (1869-1871);
Thaddeus Pecor (1871-1919).; ? Reilly (1919-1921)
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