Boat Launch Information:

ADA Access:

Site Description:

Environment:

Harbor Setting, Intertidal Flat, Island, Fronting Long Island Sound, Rocky Shore, Sandy Beach, Tidal Wetland

Additional Info:

Faulkner’s Island is part of the Stewart B. Mckinney National Wildlife Refuge (SBMNWR). The 4.5-acre island’s location 3.5 miles off the Guilford, CT coast makes it an important resting area for a variety of migratory birds. Faulkner is home to the largest Common and Roseate Tern colony in the state. It currently supports over 95% of the nesting Common Terns in Connecticut. It is the site of one of the ten largest Roseate Tern colonies in Northeastern North America, and is the only regular nesting location for this federally endangered species in the state. Because, of the ecological importance of the site the island is closed to visitors, except for one weekend each September. Check the Faulkner Light Brigade website for the exact dates. During the bird-nesting season, US Fish and Wildlife Service personal are on the island 24/7 to study and protect the birds.

Erosion is a major problem on the island, which shrinks by as much as 6 inches each year. To stabilize the island the Fish and Wildlife Service has built a seawall of large stones (some up to 3 tons) and planted a variety of grasses and shrubs on the islands steep banks.

Paddling Faulkner Island

Jacobs Beach Guilford, Connecticut to Faulkner Island, Connecticut

Put-In and Take Out Are The Same:

During the annual open house, Jacob's Beach in Guilford is opened for launching. The beach is quite nice with ample parking, especially in September, and flushing toilets. During the summer season, Jacob’s Beach is open to Guilford resident’s only and a beach pass is required.

An alternate put in, is the Guilford Town Marina. The Town marina has a busy boat launch, a large parking lot (that can fill up during the summer weekends) and flushing toilets as well. Currently, they charge a fee for launching from the town dock.

On the Water:

From either launch site, Faulkner Island is visible due south. The large lighthouse makes the island stand out. Depending on the tide, you may notice a few small islands or large rocks (depending on your outlook) between the coast and Faulkner. Notice the large triangle shaped house to the right. On a clear day, the large flat front is visible from the island and makes a good landmark

Landing On The Island:

There is a boathouse, dock and small beach on the West side of the Island. Remember, landing is only permitted during the open house in September.

Site History:

Originally called Falcon Island until around 1795, today it is known as Falkner Island on most charts and maps as Falkner Island, but known as Faulkner's Island to the local population.

Faulkner Light is the second oldest lighthouse in Connecticut and is unique for it’s octagonal shape and the exterior staircase to the gallery. . It is 46 feet (14 m) tall, octagonal in cross-section and built of brownstone lined with brick.

Many vessels negotiating Long Island Sound were wrecked on the rocks around the three-acre island, prompting the Lighthouse Establishment to erect a 40-foot stone lighthouse in 1802 warning of dangerous shoals and shallows in the area. The beacon was commissioned by President Thomas Jefferson, and the island was purchased from Medad Stone for $325.

Like Connecticut's oldest lighthouse tower, New London Harbor Light, Faulkner's Island Light was built by stonemason Abisha Woodward. The lighthouse is notable for the unusual outside staircase on its upper section, leading to the gallery deck.

Shipping accidents continued in the vicinity after the establishment of the lighthouse.

On one occasion the first keeper, Joseph Griffing, found the bodies of seven sailors whose vessel was wrecked nearby. Griffing buried the men on neighboring Goose Island.

The lighthouse was operated by a series of notable and heroic lighthouse keepers. During the 1800’s it was a popular picnic spot for New Haven boaters and featured a bowling alley and full bar.

During the War of 1812, British troops stopped at Faulkner's. They did no harm to the tower or Keeper Solomon Stone and his family, realizing the importance of the lighthouse to their own safety.

President James Monroe appointed Guilford native Eli Kimberly keeper in 1818 at a salary of $350 per year. Kimberly moved to the island with his pregnant wife Polly and their two children. The family remained on Faulkner's Island for 33 years, raising 12 children. The Kimberlys kept livestock and raised vegetables on the island, and the children were taught by a tutor who boarded with the family. Visitors were common during the Kimberlys' years on the island, often as many as 100 people on a summer day.

Faulkner Island Light's original lantern was replaced in 1840. The old lighting system, consisting of twelve whale-oil lamps with parabolic reflectors, was replaced by a a system of nine lamps and reflectors. A fourth order Fresnel lens was installed in 1856. It's believed that the present lantern was installed about 1870. The original keeper's house had fallen into disrepair and was rebuilt in 1858.

Oliver N. Brooks served as keeper from 1851 to 1882. Over one hundred vessels were wrecked in the vicinity during his tenure, through no fault of the light or its keeper. In November 1858 Keeper Brooks rescued five people from the grounded schooner Moses F. Webb. He received a gold medal from the New York Life Saving Society for his heroism, and his salary was soon raised to $500 per year.

Keeper Brooks was known as a man of many interests. He played the violin, studied ornithology and taxidermy, and conducted experiments with sound and light. He often practiced his taxidermy skills on unfortunate birds that had collided with the lighthouse lantern and died, and the keeper's house became kind of a natural history museum.

One of the keeper's daughters reportedly also shot a number of birds to add to the collection. Another daughter studied marine botany and painted watercolors.

The entire Brooks family played musical instruments, and visitors were sometimes treated to impromptu concerts. According to an 1888 newspaper article, the Brooks family "made a paradise out of that little island."

A volunteer group called the Faulkner Light Brigade maintains the lighthouse.

The United States Coast Guard built a three-story home at the lighthouse tower in 1871, but it was destroyed by fire on March 15, 1976. The lighthouse was automated in 1978, and continues to operate as a navigational aid to the nearby Intracoastal Waterway.

George Zuius was the last keeper for the U.S. Lighthouse Service, leaving Faulkner's Island in 1941 when the Coast Guard took over. Keeper Zuius was on Faulkner's Island when the Hurricane of 1938 hit. He managed to keep the light going throughout the storm, but the boathouse was destroyed. Zuius' daughter, Barbara, still remembers playing on the island with a pet chicken and her dog Rexie.

In March 1976 a fire broke out in the keeper's quarters while two Coast Guardsmen were on duty. Fire fighters couldn't arrive in time, and when the smoke cleared the 1871 keeper's house was gone and the tower was scorched. "By the time we got there the island was an inferno," said one firefighter. "we didn't stand a chance, but we did what we could."

Two years later the light was repaired and automated, with the fourth order lens being replaced by a modern optic. Vandals did further damage after the fire, so the windows were bricked up and a new steel door installed. In 1988 the light was converted to solar power.