Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, Hudson, NY

Current Structure: Construction began in 1873, light was lit in 1874
Former Structures: ​None
Other Names: Hudson City Lighthouse
Owning Organization: Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society
Location: Center-east side of the Hudson River, just south of the Middle Ground Flats, between Athens, NY and Hudson, NY. 

Tourism Information

The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse is accessible only by boat. Tours are available on select Saturdays starting in July and running through October. Tours last approximately 60 minutes. 

PRICES:
Adults - $25 (HALPS members $15)
Youths (3-11 years) - $15 (HALPS members $5)

History

By the 1830s the Middle Ground Flats off of the City of Hudson (located on the eastern shore of the Hudson in Columbia County) were proving extremely hazardous for the increased traffic on the upper Hudson River. Like other the Esopus Meadows, the Middle Ground Flats would be fully submerged at high tide, making them invisible to inexperienced mariners. Many boats ran aground on the Flats over the years.

Although the first calls for a lighthouse at the Middle Ground Flats began in the late 1830s, it was not until the late 1860s that the hazard was deemed dangerous enough to warrant a lighthouse. In 1872 Congress approved an appropriation to build the Hudson City Lighthouse, which was completed in 1874. Located off shore between the cities of Hudson and Athens (which was a shipbuilding center), the new lighthouse warned boats away from the dangerous flats. 
In 1946, the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse was featured on the cover of the Saturday Evening Post, with keeper Emil J. Brunner rowing out to the lighthouse in winter with his family waiting on deck. Brunner was the last civilian lightkeeper and retired in 1949. ​

Keepers

1874 - Henry D. Best
1893 - Frank Best
1918 - Nellie Best
1918 - William J. Murray
1922 - August Kielberg
1930 - Emil Brunner
1949 - G. E. Speaks
1957-Perry Peloubet
1966 - William Nestlen
1984 - Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society