Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse

Constructed in 1822, this lighthouse is the oldest surviving active lighthouse on Lake Ontario. To reach the 12-foot-high lantern room, visitors must climb a tight 40-foot spiral staircase, then ascend an 11-rung ladder, and finally crawl through an opening in the ceiling. The view from the top is worth the effort. The lighthouse is open Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from 1 to 5 p.m. through October. New for 2024, two displays funded by a New York State Archives grant include a virtual lighthouse tower tour for those unable to climb and the wheel from the Tug Florence Yates, bequeathed by Ben O’Brien and brought by his relatives.

You can climb the tower

Be warned: It is a tight, 40-foot-high spiral staircase. Then, you climb an 11-rung ladder, and once to the top, you crawl through an opening in the ceiling to access the 12-foot-high lantern room. It’s toasty up there in the summer, but the view of Lake Ontario, the Genesee River, and Ontario Beach Park is extraordinary. A small museum is located in the lighthouse keeper’s home.

On the tour, you will hear the fascinating story of how the Charlotte community rallied to save the lighthouse from destruction after the federal government abandoned it in the 1980s. The tour guides are knowledgeable and passionate about telling the lighthouse’s story.

According to lighthousefriends.org, in 1804, President Thomas Jefferson established a seventy-mile port district along the southern shore of Lake Ontario, from Oak Orchard to Sodus Bay, centered at the intersection of the Genesee River and the lake. Initially, ships entering the port were guided by a torch on a large pilot tree or a lamp atop one of the early hotels in the region. However, the sandbars at the marshy river entrance posed challenges to ship traffic, so in 1829, two 2,600-foot-long piers were built at the river’s mouth, spaced about 360 feet apart. As land filled in around the piers, the river’s entrance shifted northward, away from the lighthouse, prompting consideration of alternative lighting options for the port.

Lighthouse Trail and Overlook Project

If you head to the back side of the property, you’ll find a trail that connects to Lake Ave. The lighthouse is also a stop along the Great Lakes Seaway Trail.

More information about Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse

Cost: Admission fee

Located in Rochester

More information: geneseelighthouse.org

Have you visited the Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse?

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