Established: 1884 First lighted: July 1, 1884 First keeper: Charles E.P. Noyes, appointed June 12, 1884 Light: (1884) fifth order Fresnel lens, flashing white Light: (1899) fourth order Fresnel lens, flashing white, 10 seconds Light: (1924) fourth order Fresnel lens, flashing white, 10 seconds, 1,800 cp Light: (1983) 300mm lens, flashing white, 6 seconds Fog signal: (1891) fog bell struck by machine every 15 seconds Height of light above sea level: (1891) 55 feet Automated: 1983 The Latimer Reef Lighthouse has a unique and interesting history. The reef, located north of the eastern end of Fishers Island, was named after James Latemore who, during the Revolutionary War, set out in a skiff to spy on the British fleet at anchor in Fisher's Island Sound. A lookout on one of the British vessels spotted Latemore's small craft, gave the alarm and a boat was lowered by crew members who took after poor Mr. Latemore. He ran aground on a reef, which was later named after him. The British seamen caught up with him, took him back to the ship and at sunrise he was hanged from one of the British frigates and later buried in the Sound. Latimer Reef Light is the oldest cast-iron lighthouse still in service in the First Coast Guard District. In 1844, it replaced the lightship at Eel Grass Shoal, about 0.8 mile northwest of the present lighthouse. The lighthouse is a brick-lined, cast-iron tower on a cement filled cast-iron foundation. It was constructed in this way because on unsheltered sites in the water where a masonry tower would be impractical or too expensive and where a structure of moderate size would serve the needs of navigation, cast-iron caissons or shells could be easily sunk and firmly secured. Besides the lighthouse, the site includes the remnant of a masonry dock and a protective band of riprap which encircles the foundation and extends northward for some 50 feet. The foundation of Latimer Reef Lighthouse rests directly upon the rock-bottom of the reef. Its cast-iron shell is composed of curved and flanged cast-iron plates, bolted together on the inside. The prefabricated plates were assembled on site and then filled with Portland cement, creating a heavy stable footing, 30 feet in diameter and 25 feet high. The inside faces of the foundation plates are corrugated, probably to insure that the cement would not shift once it hardened. In the center of the foundation’s top, an area was left unfilled to provide a basement storage area. The tower takes the form of a truncated cone, 21 feet in diameter at the bottom and 18 feet in diameter at the top. Walls are curved cast-iron plates connected by bolts through internal flanges. Three stories held living quarters when the light was manned, and the forth story served as the watch deck.