Post by Graveyardbride on Jun 28, 2021 11:27:02 GMT -5
Haunted Penfield Reef Lighthouse for Sale
The Penfield Reef Lighthouse off the coast of Fairfield, Connecticut, is being auctioned to the highest bidder, but a week into the auction, the General Services Administration (GSA) has received just two bids, one for $100,000, the minimum bid, and a second for $110,000.
The beautiful – and reportedly haunted* – Penfield Reef Light consists of a 1,568-square-foot keeper’s quarters and 51-foot octagonal tower. Built in 1874 in the Second Empire style, the property, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, was restored in 2015.
A minimum bid of only $100,000 seems like a steal, but as tantalizing as this offer may be to lighthouse afficionados – and there are hundreds of thousands – there’s a catch. First, the Penfield Reef Light is accessible only by boat and second, even in these days of GPS, lighthouses are still vital to navigation in many locations and Penfield Reef will continue to send out its powerful flashing red light from sundown to sunup. While the majority of lighthouse lovers would be thrilled to own a working light, there’s a catch: the lucky winner of the auction will be required to lease submerged land from the state and the premises can be used “only for park, recreation, education and cultural or historic preservation purposes” and must “be open for reasonable access to the general public on a frequency and in a manner approved” by the state.
The GSA previously listed Penfield Reef for sale in 2016, but withdrew it when no one purchased the light. The current auction, which began June 21, does not have a scheduled closing date.
In addition to Penfield Reef, the GSA is attempting to unload five other lighthouses: Hooper Island Lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay, Maryland; Watch Hill Light, Westerly, Rhode Island; Beavertail Light (above) in Jamestown, Rhode Island; Cleveland Harbor West Pierhead Light in Cleveland, Ohio, and Duluth Harbor North Pierhead Light in Duluth, Minnesota, will be transferred to not-for-profit organizations, historic preservationists and other groups for free.
Sources: Phil Hall, Westchester and Fairfield County Business Journals, June 28, 2021; James Leggate, Fox News, June 19, 2021; and Lighthouse Friends.
*For information on the ghosts of Penfield Reef Light, see “Christmas Spirit of the Penfield Reef Lighthouse.”