Connecticut

Stratford Shoal Light has often been categorized as a New York lighthouse, but according to U.S. Geological Survey maps, it's clearly on the Connecticut side of the border in Long Island Sound by about 1000 feet. Beginning around 1820, Stratford Shoal-also known as Middleground Shoal-about three-quarters of a mile in length, was marked by two spar buoys to the north and south.

Bridgeport's first aid to navigation was established in 1806, when Congress appropriated $1,000 to construct an unlighted beacon at the entrance to the harbor. It was an iron spindle surmounted with a cage and often had to be replaced after being destroyed by storms or ice floes. In the 1820s, steamboat service was established between Bridgeport, CT and other ports along Long Island Sound. In those early years, cargo consisted primarily of passengers and oysters harvested from the harbor.

The New London Harbor Lighthouse was the fourth constructed in the colonies. Boston, established in 1716, was the first; Brant Point, erected in 1746 on Nantucket Island, was the second, and Beavertail, constructed in 1749, was third. The present New London Harbor Tower was constructed in 1800. For many years the mouth of the Thames River in Connecticut was one of the best natural harbors on the New England Coast. It is not surprising that a town named New London was established at the mouth of the river at an early date.