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Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Lighthouse

42.8333° N, 78.8675° W · New York · built 1903[1]

  • View from a boat
  • National Register 2007
  • Last verified 2026-10

Not an active aid to navigation.

Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Lighthouse
Karmen Bisher, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Toned for this site.

At the elbow of the Stony Point breakwater, south of downtown Buffalo, a cast-iron tower and concrete fog-signal house mark the old south entrance to the harbour. Dark since 1993, the station is being restored by Buffalo's volunteer lighthouse group and is seen mainly from the water.

History

When Buffalo's harbour was enlarged at the start of the twentieth century, a second entrance was opened to the south, and in 1903 a light station was built at Stony Point to mark it.[2] The station has three parts: a cast-iron light tower with a lantern on top, a one-storey concrete fog-signal building, and an L-shaped concrete pier.[2] Wikipedia describes the tower as three storeys and 43.5 feet tall, while the Lighthouse Directory gives about 29 feet.[2,3] The National Register lists the U.S. Lighthouse Service as its designer.[4]

The light was retired in 1993 and replaced by a modern post light nearby on the breakwater.[2,3] Its original fourth-order Fresnel lens moved to the Buffalo Main Lighthouse in 1987, and after restoration in 2013 it went on display at the Heritage Discovery Center in South Buffalo.[3]

For years the station was little known. The National Register of Historic Places added it in 2007.[4] In 2008 it was offered under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, and the Buffalo Lighthouse Association's application for ownership was approved.[3] Volunteers patched the roof and replaced windows in 2014, a county greenway grant in 2022 helped pay for more work, and the tower was repainted in 2024.[3]

The association says it will add boat tours to the station once the restoration has dealt with the safety problems.[5] For now the lighthouse sits on its breakwater about three miles south of the Buffalo light, and only a very distant view is possible from shore.[3]

How to see it

View from a boat Offshore or on a closed breakwater; seen from the water.

Best public viewpoint
From the water; the Lighthouse Directory notes only a very distant view from land, from the NY 5 crossing of the Union Canal.[5]
Tower climbs
No public tower climbs have been offered, as far as our sources show.
Operator
Buffalo Lighthouse Association
Last verified
Last verified 2026-10

Access details last verified 2026-10. Hours, tours and ownership change. Check the operator before you go. Pier and breakwater lights can be dangerous in wind and waves; obey posted closures and never enter private or Coast Guard property.

Questions people ask

Can you visit the South Buffalo lighthouse?

Not yet. It stands on a breakwater reachable only by boat. The Buffalo Lighthouse Association, which owns it, plans boat tours once restoration resolves safety issues.

Is the light still working?

No. It was retired in 1993, and a modern post light nearby took over.

Nearby lighthouses

Nearby shipwrecks

Nearby · Sponsored

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Sources

  1. Wikidata Q4985746: Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Light, Wikidata. Accessed .
  2. Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Light, Wikipedia. Accessed .
  3. Lighthouses of the U.S.: Western New York, Russ Rowlett, The Lighthouse Directory (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill). Accessed .
  4. National Register of Historic Places record 07001191: Buffalo Harbor South Entrance Light, U.S. National Park Service (NPGallery). Accessed .
  5. Visit | Buffalolighthouse, Buffalo Lighthouse Association. Accessed .

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