| History:
The
city of Dunkirk is located just south of Buffalo, NY. Shortly after the
Erie Canal opened, Dunkirk emerged as the main port city of New York's
southern tier. The original lighthouse was built in 1826 at Point
Gratiot.
In 1857, the tower was
rebuilt to house a fixed third-order Fresnel lens. In 1875-1876, a
61-foot stone tower and a beautiful Victorian residence were constructed
to replace the original tower, which was threatened by erosion. These
structures still stand today. Bricks from the original keeper's house
formed the foundation for the new house. The old cylindrical tower was
moved adjacent to the new keeper's residence. A square tower was built
around the old tower "to be more compatible with the keeper's
house." (Tinney, Burdett-Watkins, p. 13; Seaway Trail Video)
The waters of Lake Erie off
Dunkirk have been the site of several notable shipwrecks. The lake's
first steamboat, the Walk-on-Water, was lost to a storm in 1818.
In 1841 the Erie burned with the loss of 141 lives. The fire was
blamed on painters who stored turpentine and varnish on the deck above
the ship's boilers. In 1893, the steamboat Dean Richmond, which
carried sacks of meal, flour, copper sheet, and gold and silver bullion,
sank off Dunkirk. Dunkirk residents salvaged hundreds of bags of damp
flour after the wreck. In 1897, the freighter Idaho was lost.
Some of its cargo of Christmas items, including slabs of chocolate, were
recovered by the locals. (Roberts, Jones pp.29-30)
Several pier lights have
marked Dunkirk harbor. The first two collapsed under the weight of
winter ice. The third was removed in 1939 (Seaway Trail Video), and a
skeleton tower was built to mark the mouth of the harbor. This was later
replaced by the present tower - a cylindrical cigarette-like white tower
with a red band.
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