Rondout Lighthouse
The Rondout Lighthouse is the last of three lighthouses marking the entrance to the Rondout Creek. Still fully operational as a navigational light, the Rondout lighthouse is one of only seven remaining on the Hudson River.
This brick lighthouse, completed and lit in 1915, is accessible only by boat. Owned by the City of Kingston and operated by the Hudson River Maritime Museum, guided tours of the interior of the lighthouse are available seasonally.
Explore this historic structure from the first floor all the way up to the observation deck around the light itself. All tours are led by our experienced and knowledgeable tour guides and include the boat between the Hudson River Maritime Museum and the lighthouse.
This brick lighthouse, completed and lit in 1915, is accessible only by boat. Owned by the City of Kingston and operated by the Hudson River Maritime Museum, guided tours of the interior of the lighthouse are available seasonally.
Explore this historic structure from the first floor all the way up to the observation deck around the light itself. All tours are led by our experienced and knowledgeable tour guides and include the boat between the Hudson River Maritime Museum and the lighthouse.
Lighthouse Tours
The lighthouses are accessed via the Hudson River Maritime Museum's 100% solar powered tour boat Solaris. We offer two cruise options; a dual lighthouse sightseeing cruise that will sail passengers by both the Rondout Lighthouse and Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, and a singular tour that allows visitors to explore the inside of the Rondout Lighthouse. Tours operate May through October. Click here to view the cruise schedule.
Accessibility
The lighthouse is not handicapped accessible (there are numerous stairs and step access on and off the boat) and there are no bathrooms available. Please use restroom facilities at the museum before departure. The lighthouse also includes many narrow stairs, a ladder to the light tower, and open grate decking. Access to the observation deck requires the agility to exit a 3x3 foot door with a significant threshold, and other obstacles typical of working buildings of the 1910s. Please do not wear backless and/or narrow-heeled shoes.
Age Restrictions
Please note that children under the age of 6 are permitted at the Rondout Lighthouse due to safety concerns.
Accessibility
The lighthouse is not handicapped accessible (there are numerous stairs and step access on and off the boat) and there are no bathrooms available. Please use restroom facilities at the museum before departure. The lighthouse also includes many narrow stairs, a ladder to the light tower, and open grate decking. Access to the observation deck requires the agility to exit a 3x3 foot door with a significant threshold, and other obstacles typical of working buildings of the 1910s. Please do not wear backless and/or narrow-heeled shoes.
Age Restrictions
Please note that children under the age of 6 are permitted at the Rondout Lighthouse due to safety concerns.
Seven Sentinels: Lighthouses of the Hudson River
In 2024, Hudson River Maritime Museum released a documentary on the history of the seven remaining lighthouse on the Hudson River. 'Seven Sentinels' tells the fascinating stories of the buildings themselves and their keepers, and outlines how these seven have survived to the present day, and how to preserve them for generations to come.
Lighthouse Book
To learn more about Hudson River Lighthouses, including the Rondout Lighthouse and Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, check out the new book written by museum staff and partners, Hudson River Lighthouses. Available for sale in the museum store, or you can also purchase online! All proceeds benefit the Hudson River Maritime Museum.
Hudson River Lighthouses Book
$21.99
Discover the intriguing history of Upstate NY lighthouses with this handsome and beautifully-illustrated volume. Written by Hudson River Maritime Museum staff, and published as part of the Images of America series, Hudson River Lighthouses contains rare photos from our museum archive.
This item ships USPS Priority Flat Rate mail. Shipping available in U.S. only.
Pickup on site available M-F, 10 AM to 5 PM free of charge. Wait for confirmation email then call 845-338-0071 ext. 10 upon arrival for curbside pickup.
Rondout Lighthouse History
The Rondout Creek was a major deepwater port for most of the 19th and the early 20th century. A lighthouse was necessary to mark the entrance to the creek on the Hudson, especially after the opening of the D&H canal (which terminates at Rondout Creek) in 1828. The increased traffic due to coal shipments and other shipments coming in and out of the creek made marking the mouth and the shallow areas around it necessary.
The first lighthouse was built in 1837 and was made of wood. Little is known about this structure. After it was damaged in a storm, it was replaced by a stone structure in 1867 (you can still see the foundation of the old lighthouse). This served the creek well until the creek was dredged and jettys (aka breakwaters aka dikes) were built along the mouth of the creek and which extended out past the 1867 lighthouse. Sailors complained that the light on a pole at the end of the jetty was insufficient to mark the entrance to the mouth of the creek and in 1913 construction began on a new brick lighthouse which remains the Rondout (or sometimes called Kingston) Light. Construction was completed and the light was lit in 1915. The 1867 lighthouse was abandoned.
All lighthouses in the U.S. were run by the United States Lighthouse Service from 1716-1939, when the lighthouses were transferred to the United States Coast Guard. US Lighthouse Servicemen often had families who lived in the lighthouses with them.
The 1913 lighthouse was fully automated in the 1950s and the old lighthouse torn down around that same time. The lighthouse was mostly abandoned until the 1980s when HRMM initiated some preservation efforts. Leasing the building from the Coast Guard, HRMM replaced the slate roof and furnished the interior and began giving tours. In the late 1990s, the Coast Guard divested itself of the property, giving the City of Kingston first refusal. Kingston accepted the lighthouse and HRMM now works with the City on preservation and interpretation of the lighthouse for the general public.
The first lighthouse was built in 1837 and was made of wood. Little is known about this structure. After it was damaged in a storm, it was replaced by a stone structure in 1867 (you can still see the foundation of the old lighthouse). This served the creek well until the creek was dredged and jettys (aka breakwaters aka dikes) were built along the mouth of the creek and which extended out past the 1867 lighthouse. Sailors complained that the light on a pole at the end of the jetty was insufficient to mark the entrance to the mouth of the creek and in 1913 construction began on a new brick lighthouse which remains the Rondout (or sometimes called Kingston) Light. Construction was completed and the light was lit in 1915. The 1867 lighthouse was abandoned.
All lighthouses in the U.S. were run by the United States Lighthouse Service from 1716-1939, when the lighthouses were transferred to the United States Coast Guard. US Lighthouse Servicemen often had families who lived in the lighthouses with them.
The 1913 lighthouse was fully automated in the 1950s and the old lighthouse torn down around that same time. The lighthouse was mostly abandoned until the 1980s when HRMM initiated some preservation efforts. Leasing the building from the Coast Guard, HRMM replaced the slate roof and furnished the interior and began giving tours. In the late 1990s, the Coast Guard divested itself of the property, giving the City of Kingston first refusal. Kingston accepted the lighthouse and HRMM now works with the City on preservation and interpretation of the lighthouse for the general public.
Rondout Lighthouse Keepers
1837 Wooden Lighthouse:
- March 1838 – James McCausland
- Dec. 1838 – John McCausland
- Feb. 1842 – Martin G. Hayes
- Feb. 1845 – Marthur M. Crange
- Oct. 1845 – Johannes D. Hasbrouk
- March 1849 – Josiah Warner
- April 1853 – John Kelly
- May 1856 – George W. Murdock (died by drowning)
- July 1857-1867 – Catherine A. Murdock (George’s widow)
1867 Bluestone Lighthouse:
- 1867-1907 – Catherine A. Murdock
- 1907-1915 – James B. Murdock (Catherine’s son; he was assistant keeper from 1880-1907)
1915 Yellow Brick Lighthouse:
- 1915-1923 – James B. Murdock
- 1923-1935 – Ernest Bloom
- 1935-1945 – Robert L. Howard (died of stroke after fall on ice)
- 1945-1946 – Albert H. Passel
- 1946-1954 – Herman Lange (civilian keeper)
Other Hudson River Lighthouses
Want to learn more about other Hudson River lighthouses, including lost lighthouses?