Dunkirk Lighthouse (Point Gratiot)

History

A light has guided ships past Point Gratiot, just west of Dunkirk harbour, since the mid-1820s; the sources give 1826 or 1827.^[2,3] In 1857 the station received a third-order Fresnel lens, the same lens that still works in the tower today.^[2,3]

By the late 1860s the station was in poor shape. Lighthouse Board reports complained of a leaking dwelling and a cracked tower, and in 1874 the board warned that parts of the tower's outer shell could fall at any time, asking for $15,000 to rebuild.^[2] The new light was finished in 1875: a square tower about 61 feet tall, whose brick casing surrounds the 1857 rubblestone tower, joined to a two-storey brick keeper's house in High Victorian Gothic style.^[3,4,2] The old lens was moved into it. The tower's upper two thirds are painted white, the lower third left as bare stone, under a red lantern.^[2,3]

The keeper here also tended the light on the Dunkirk pierhead, which had five towers over the years; ice destroyed the first two.^[2] The main light was automated around 1960, and the station began to decay.^[2,3] A group of veterans and local residents leased the property from the Coast Guard and restored it, and at the light's 125th anniversary in July 2000 the tower passed to the local preservation society.^[3] The complex was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979.^[4]

Today the house holds a veterans' museum, and the grounds display relocated lighthouses, including the South Buffalo North Side Light, along with buoys.^[2,3] The light remains active, an occulting white light every four seconds at 82 feet.^[1] Erosion of the bluff is a growing worry for the museum.^[3]

How to see it

Tower climbs The operator has offered public tower climbs, usually seasonally.

Best public viewpoint

The lighthouse grounds at the end of Lighthouse Point Drive on Point Gratiot, off NY 5 in Dunkirk.^[5]

Tower climbs

The volunteer-run Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum has offered guided tours that include the climb to the top, seasonally.

Operator

Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum; the U.S. Coast Guard maintains the light

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 climb the Dunkirk Lighthouse?

Yes, in season. The Dunkirk Lighthouse and Veterans Park Museum has offered guided tours that include the climb to the top. Check the museum before you go.

Is the Dunkirk light still working?

Yes. The September 2026 USCG Light List shows Oc W 4s at a focal height of 82 feet, and the tower still uses its 1857 third-order Fresnel lens.

What else is at the Dunkirk Lighthouse?

A veterans' museum in the keeper's house, plus relocated lights from elsewhere on the lake, such as the South Buffalo North Side Light, and buoys.