Help assure the sustainability of the National Lighthouse Museum for all future generations!
Your donations help the Museum every day by providing funds needed for our infrastructure, exhibits, operations, collections management and public programs.
Your donations help the Museum every day by providing funds needed for our infrastructure, exhibits, operations, collections management and public programs.
The National Lighthouse Museum concept was born out of the need to educate and preserve the navigational history of lighthouses being lost due to modern navigational technology. In 1998, the ALCC issued a nation-wide Request for Proposals (RFP) for a National Lighthouse Center and Museum. Seventeen proposals were submitted from groups around the country, including one from New York Harbor Lights based in Staten Island. After a series of presentations and deliberations, the former site of the U.S. Lighthouse Service (USLHS) General Depot at St. George, Staten Island, was selected as the winner. The General Depot was the national headquarters, testing ground, and distribution center for all materials and equipment used by light keepers and USLHS personnel from 1864 to 1939. Once a lively and bustling site of 18 buildings, today only 6 remain.
Today, the Museum occupies the 2,400 square foot 1912 USLHS foundry building. We provide informative programs for our community, such as learning experiences for adults and children, our Great Staten Island Lighthouse Hunt, National Lighthouse Weekend in August, annual Fall festivals, monthly maritime-themed presentations and our seasonal sightseeing Lighthouse Boat Tours just to name a few! Through your involvement and generosity, you are helping to assure the sustainability of National Lighthouse Museum for future generations.