Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer, better known as Dr. Ruth, joined Commissioner Benepe in entertaining the audience with a reading of The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge. The childrens book inspired fans, who banded together to save the lighthouse from destruction in 1948.

At the festival, local officials including Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer, Council Member Robert Jackson and residents young and old toured the lighthouse, listened to live music by Orville Davis and the Stout Trio, had their faces painted and enjoyed food, historic demonstrations and more. This year the lighthouse also boasts a brand new bright coat of red paint, new Plexiglas panes in the lantern and general repairs thanks to $45,000 from Benjamin Moore.

The 40-foot lighthouse, officially named Jeffreys Hook, was erected in 1880 and moved to its current site along the treacherous section of the Hudson River in 1921. When the George Washington Bridge opened above the lighthouse in 1931, the lights of the bridge made the lighthouse obsolete. The Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse in 1948 with a plan to auction it off. But the popular childrens book prompted a public outcry that saved the lighthouse.

On July 23, 1951, the Coast Guard gave the property to Parks and on May 29, 1979, the Little Red Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it is Manhattans only lighthouse and has become widely known as a childrens literary landmark. The icon is celebrated as a reminder of our citys history and of the lesson of the bookthat even small things can be important.

Parks & Recreation, the Historic House Trust and the New York Restoration Project hosted the event, with sponsorship by Con Edison. The Little Red Lighthouse is a member of the Historic House Trust, a not-for-profit organization operating in tandem with Parks & Recreation. Their mission is to provide essential support for 22 houses of architectural and cultural significance, spanning 350 years of New York City life and ranging from modest farmers cottages to grand mansions. These treasures reside within City parks and are open to the public, attracting some 650,000 visitors annually.

Together, these houses tell the story of New York Citys evolution from a rural Dutch outpost to a great 21st century city.

"Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes."

(1854 1900)

"For decades Manhattans Little Red Lighthouse, the star of Hildegarde Swifts childrens book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, has held a special place in the hearts of children," said Commissioner Benepe. "Each year I look forward to joining hundreds of New Yorkers and Dr. Ruth to read the heartwarming story of the humble but very, very proud lighthouse who has become a literary beacon illuminating the City's proud maritime history and culture. Throughout the city, we are building and restoring waterfront parks and the icons, like the Little Red Lighthouse, that represent the rich history of our shoreline."

The 40-foot lighthouse, officially named Jeffreys Hook, was erected in 1880 and moved to its current site along the treacherous section of the Hudson River in 1921. When the George Washington Bridge opened above the lighthouse in 1931, the lights of the bridge made the lighthouse obsolete. The Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse in 1948 with a plan to auction it off. But the popular childrens book prompted a public outcry that saved the lighthouse.

On July 23, 1951, the Coast Guard gave the property to Parks and on May 29, 1979, the Little Red Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Today, it is Manhattans only lighthouse and has become widely known as the childrens literary landmark. The icon is celebrated as a reminder of our citys history and of the lesson of the bookthat even small things can be important.

Parks & Recreation, the Historic House Trust and the New York Restoration project hosted the event, with sponsorship by Con Edison. The Little Red Lighthouse is a member of Historic House Trust, a not-for-profit organization operating in tandem with Parks & Recreation. Their mission is to provide essential support for 22 houses of architectural and cultural significance, spanning 350 years of New York City life and ranging from modest farmers cottages to grand mansions. These treasures reside within City parks and are open to the public, attracting some 650,000 visitors annually. Together, these houses tell the story of New York Citys evolution from a rural Dutch outpost to a great 21st century city.

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Manhattan

Journey to Fort Washington Park this Saturday, September 15, between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m., for the 15th Annual Little Red Lighthouse Festival, sponsored by Con Edison. Visitors can enjoy hayrides, face painting, the antics of a stilt-walker, live music and a reading of Hildegarde Swifts classic story "The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge," by Commissioner Adrian Benepe and Dr. Ruth. Guests can also tour Manhattans only remaining lighthouse.

Spend Saturday, September 15 and Sunday, September 16, at the 25th Annual Queens County Fair. A traditional county fair with Blue Ribbon competitions in livestock, produce, home crafts, arts and crafts, and more. Enjoy the Amazing Maize Maze, pie-eating, and corn-husking contests, pig racing, make-your-own-scarecrow, hayrides, petting zoo, carnival rides, and midway. Visit the Bavarian Garden and enjoy Irish and German bands, crafts, and food vendors. The Queens County Farm Museum is located at 73-50 Little Neck Parkway in Floral Park. The fun begins at 11 a.m. and lasts until 6 p.m. Admission: Adults $6.00, Children (12 and under) $3.00.

Brooklyn

Come celebrate International Chocolate Month with the History Club on Sunday, September 16! This months focus is on our citys fine chocolate history. Join us at Marine Parks Salt Marsh Nature Center between 1 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. for a discussion of chocolates local historic significanceand for some free samples.

Just this week, Hurricane Humberto hit the Gulf Coast in Texas and Louisiana. Have you ever wondered what causes a hurricane? What would happen if a hurricane hit New York City directly? Come down to the Blue Heron Nature Center to learn more about these huge storms that have been sweeping the world. The Urban Park Rangers can answer your questions and tell you what you can do to be prepared. Blue Heron Park is located at 222 Poillon Avenue. The event begins at 3 p.m. and lasts one hour.

On Saturday, September 15, join Dr. Harriet Davis-Kram, assistant professor at Queens College, at the Bartow-Pell Mansion Museum in Pelham Bay Park for a look at the life of New York City residents during the American Victorian Era. Crime was an everyday affair and neighborhood residents often relied on gangsters and corrupt political organizations for aid in emergencies. Registration requested. The event starts at 1 p.m. and is located at 895 Shore Road.

"All I really need is love but a little chocolate now and then doesn't hurt!"

Lucy Van Pelt in "Peanuts" by Charles M. Schulz

On Earth Day 2007, Mayor Bloomberg unveiled a sweeping roadmap to the sustainable growth of New York Cityplanting one million trees, greening 800 traffic triangles and opening playgrounds and ballfields around the City. In addition, PlaNYC commits an additional $400 million to design and build eight underdeveloped regional parks across the City: Soundview, Dreier-Offerman, McCarren, Fort Washington, Highbridge, Highland, Rockaways and Ocean Breeze Parks.

In Manhattan, surveys for Fort Washington and Highbridge Park are available online in English and Spanish. Learn more and give us your feedback at www.nyc.gov/parks. Partnerships for Parks, a joint program of Parks and the City Parks Foundation will partner with neighborhood groups to collect surveys in these parks to ensure broad community input about the future designs of parks and amenities

Fort Washington Park
Fort Washington Park is a 160-acre strip of dramatic cliffs and grassy meadows along the Hudson River from 145th Street to Dyckman Street. Highlights of the park include views of the Palisades and Hudson River, the Little Red Lighthouse and the George Washington Bridge. The Mayors plan is an opportunity to fully realize one of the last undeveloped jewels of northern Manhattan. The $36 million allocated to Fort Washington Park will create a destination park for the 21st century. Potential amenities will include a bike and pedestrian network, active and passive recreation areas, new playgrounds and concessions and improve park facilities like bathrooms and historic structures.

High Bridge
The High Bridge was completed in 1848 as part of the Old Croton Aqueduct, which first brought fresh water to New York City from Westchester County and fueled the citys northern expansion. One of the citys oldest standing bridges, it spans the Harlem River, connecting Manhattan and the Bronx, and has been closed for over 30 years.

The $60 million that Mayor Bloomberg has allocated to the High Bridge, along with an additional $5 million from Congressman Jose Serrano, will allow the Parks Department to rehabilitate and reopen the bridge. The reopened High Bridge will be an essential link in New York Citys expanding waterfront Greenway, with new pedestrian and bicycle access to the Highbridge Parks, Pool and Recreation Center, for Bronx and Manhattan residents. The rehabilitation will follow historic preservation principles to restore the architectural details of this landmarked structure for public enjoyment.

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Geography? Weather? Luck? Mercy? Historians still argue over how the newest nation on earth went to battle with the greatest nation on earth and somehow survived the encounter. Through a total of nine issues, The Daily Plant has chronicled how the events of the American Revolution that occurred in New York City, tended to take place in land that was then or that would someday become parks. The reasons for these coincidences lie in the fact that both a military general and a park visitor look for the same sorts of amenities: high vistas, waterfront access, and interesting/defensible landscapes that are connected to several modes of transportation.

By November 16 the American forces had already lost the coastlines of Brooklyn, Manhattan, and the Bronx. The British even progressed up through Westchester and most of George Washingtons forces were forced to retreat to New Jersey. One holdout remained, Fort Washington, an area that included two present-day parks. At Manhattans highest elevation, these sites represented Americas last stand in New York.

Pennsylvania battalions of the Continental Army began construction for Fort Washington on June 20, 1776. The relatively large complex centered on present-day Fort Washington Avenue and 183rd Street. Although Fort Washington covered a lot of ground, it did not have the stone walls and tall turrets we come to think of when someone says fort. Also, the quickly assembled, earthen-walled structure had no water supply and no significant barricade to repel attackers. The fort relied not on structure but position for defensibility. With views overlooking the Hudson River to the east, the valley of Manhattan as far south as what is now 120th Street, and protection on the north side from Fort Tryon, it had been a useful lookout in the earlier stages of the war. By November 16, 1776, however, the five-month-old Fort Washington would fall.

With British forces already north of Manhattan in White Plains, British reinforcements had to march back down to Kingsbridge to prepare for their final attack. On the night of November 14, the British succeeded in moving 30 floatboats up the East River past Fort Washington, undetected by the Americans. (Aside from the fort itself, obstacles sunk in the Hudson prevented a naval attack from that river.) On the 15th the British forces approached the fort and (consummate gentlemen) asked the Americans to surrender. Colonel Magaw refused the offer, and on the morning of November 16, the fighting began. Tactical details notwithstanding, with 1,000 wounded and 54 dead, Magaw surrendered, realizing that resistance would only result in a bloodbath.

During the British occupation of New York, the Fort bore the name of Wilhelm, Baron von Knyphausen the German general in British service who commanded the attack and who oversaw New York from 1779 to 1780. After the war, vestiges of the Fort disappeared, and the surrounding area became known as Washington Heights. An 1894 Law mapped out the first section of Fort Washington Park, which now stretches from 155th Street to Dyckman Street and from Riverside Drive to the Hudson River. In nearby Bennett Park granite paving outlines the contours of the southern portion of the former fort complex.

So the next time youre out in the city, at a waterfront park, atop a hill, or climbing up a valley, look around; theres a good chance youre tracing the footsteps of history.

Written by John Mattera

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

If you haven't got any charity in your heart, you have the worst kind of heart trouble.

Bob Hope
(1903 2003)

"The Little Red Lighthouse has had a special place in the hearts of children around the world for many decades," said Parks & Recreation Commissioner Adrian Benepe. "It is also literally a beacon illuminating the City's proud maritime history and culture. All across New York City we are building and restoring waterfront parks and interpreting the rich history of our shoreline. We are proud to team up with the Historic House Trust and the New York Restoration Project to celebrate this humble but very, very proud lighthouse and the great park it sits in."

The 40-foot lighthouse, officially named Jeffreys Hook, was erected in 1880 and moved to its current site along the treacherous section of the Hudson River in 1921. When the George Washington Bridge opened above the lighthouse in 1931, the lights of the bridge made the lighthouse obsolete. The Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse in 1948 with a plan to auction it off. But the popular childrens book, written by Hildegarde Swift and with illustrations by Lynd Ward, prompted a public outcry that saved the lighthouse.

On July 23, 1951, the Coast Guard gave the property to Parks, and on May 29, 1979, the Little Red Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1986, Parks hosted a party in honor of the lighthouses 65th anniversary and to celebrate $209,000 in renovations that included reconstruction of the concrete foundation and the installation of new steel doors. In 2000, the lighthouse received a fresh coat of red paint that is true to its original, historic color, along with new interior lighting and electric lines. Today, it is Manhattans only lighthouse and has become widely known as the childrens literary landmark The Little Red Lighthouse. The icon is celebrated as a reminder of our citys history and of the lesson of the bookthat even small things can be important.

The Little Red Lighthouse is a member of Historic House Trust, a not-for-profit organization operating in tandem with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Their mission is to provide essential support for houses of architectural and cultural significance, spanning 350 years of New York City life. These treasures reside within City parks and are open to the public.

The Lighthouse is in Fort Washington Park, 178th Street & Hudson River, Manhattan. Scheduled tours are offered spring through fall by the Urban Park Rangers.

QUOTATION FOR THE DAY

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.

Albert Camus
(1913 1960)

The 40-foot lighthouse, officially named Jeffreys Hook, was erected in 1880 and moved to its current site along the treacherous section of the Hudson River in 1921. When the George Washington Bridge opened above the lighthouse in 1931, the lights of the bridge made the lighthouse obsolete. The Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse in 1948 with a plan to auction it off. But the popular childrens book, written by Hildegarde Swift and with illustrations by Lynd Ward, prompted a public outcry that saved the lighthouse.

On July 23, 1951, the Coast Guard gave the property to Parks, and on May 29, 1979, the Little Red Lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places. In 1986, Parks hosted a party in honor of the lighthouses 65th anniversary and to celebrate $209,000 in renovations that included reconstruction of the concrete foundation and the installation of new steel doors. In 2000, the lighthouse received a fresh coat of red paint that is true to its original, historic color, along with new interior lighting and electric lines. Today, it is Manhattans only lighthouse and has become widely known as the childrens literary landmark The Little Red Lighthouse. The icon is celebrated as a reminder of our citys history and of the lesson of the bookthat even small things can be important.

The festival is sponsored by Con Edison. The Little Red Lighthouse is a member of Historic House Trust, a not-for-profit organization operating in tandem with the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation. Their mission is to provide essential support for houses of architectural and cultural significance, spanning 350 years of New York City life. These treasures reside within City parks and are open to the public.

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The lighthouse tours were such a success that additional tours will be offered in the upcoming weeks. Tours will be offered on October 3 from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and will be conducted by the Urban Park Rangers, and again as part of Open House New York on October 9 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The lighthouse is located at Fort Washington Park on the Hudson River, just under the George Washington Bridge.

The Little Red Lighthouse, officially named the Jeffreys Hook Lighthouse, was erected in 1880 and was moved to its current site in 1921, where it stands as Manhattans only lighthouse.

The lighthouse became a celebrated childrens landmark after its symbolic debut in the childrens book, The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, by Hildegarde H. Swift in 1942. In the book, illustrated by Lynd Ward, the lighthouse metaphorically expresses the significance of a little thing in a big world.

The lighthouses removal was proposed in 1951, but the public outcry of New York City children and their allies succedded in preserving the lighthouse for generations to come. It was at this point that the New York City Department of Parks & Recreation was granted jurisdiction over the structure.

The Little Red Lighthouse Festival took place on September 18 and was produced by Parks & Recreation, the Historic House Trust and the New York Restoration Project. Con Edison sponsored the event.

Council Member Robert Jackson, Manhattan Borough Commissioner Bill Castro, and Executive Director of the Historic House Trust Therese Braddick were all in attendance.

"The Little Red Lighthouse is a true New York gem," said Braddick. "Over 300 people braved the rains from hurricane Ivan on Saturday, September 18 for a chance to get inside the historic site."

For information about visiting the lighthouse, please call the Urban Park Rangers at 311. For information about visiting any other historic house in New York City parks, visit www.nyc.gov/parks.Written by Carli Smith

Quotation for the Day

A proverb is a short sentence based on long experience."

Miguel de Cervantes

To cope with his death, I looked for spaces to contemplate and feel. In our parks, I noticed many manifestations of that same yearning: sculptures of soldiers, former presidents, artists, and activists. Park benches have been adopted in memory of community members, and recently, groves of trees have been planted throughout the city with a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture in memory of those who lost their lives on September 11, 2001.

I found the planting of a single tree a quiet, personal way to honor the passing of a life by giving another, while at the same time silently carving out a small place in the public sphere for mourning. There is a marvelous commemorative tree program in Prospect Park. You can plant a tree to honor friends and loved ones or to celebrate special events and milestones. The gift of a tree helps replace lost trees and ensure a healthy park. The Prospect Park staff will work with you to select a tree type and location, plan a planting ceremony, and list the tree in the Commemorative Tree Book, with a tribute page created by the donor.

When we decided to plant a tree in memory of Temai Myambo, the first step was to contact Robyn Bellamy, Manager of the Prospect Park Alliance Commemorative Tree Program, at 718-965-8995. After receiving the overview of the program, we made an appointment with Park Arborist Mike McComiskey to discuss tree types and location. It was a misty spring morning when we arrived at the Prospect Park Tennis House. Mike had pulled out books of different trees. After being briefed on the names of possible trees, we walked to the North Meadow, the location we chose for our tree, to look at the different species. We could touch the rough bark and intoxicating blossoms of the sweet gum, the smooth trunk and moon-shaped canopy of the American yellowwood, and the lime green leaves of a young cucumber magnolia. Mike explained how our tree planting fit in with the Prospect Park master plan to recreate the North Meadow as originally envisioned by Fredrick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux in the 1860s.

I knew the first anniversary of my friends death would be an emotional occasion, and when the beginning of March arrived, I decided to visit the American yellowwood planted just outside the Meadowport Arch in the North Meadow of Prospect Park. After a week of sun, the day was cold and rainy, and I stood leaning against the protective fence looking at the young bare tree, comforted with my thoughts about how I will be able to watch it bud this spring and grow in the years to come. I thought about how this summer and in summers to come, friends and family will travel to this very spot to celebrate Temais birthday.

The North Meadow on a cold rainy day is a beautiful place. The rolling hills in the shifting gray light are reminiscent of the wild expanse of the British moors. Barely a person was in sight, and the park was hushed but for the calls of sea gulls circling the green. It was a day of fairy spells when Prospect Park in winter stillness still spins its magic web. I left the park walking towards the noisy traffic of Grand Army Plaza. As a means of maintaining my recently found serenity, I placed a Dharma Moon compact disc in my disc player. It was a simple song in which an electric guitar and voice compare the colors of sunset to sunrise, without words. I looked up; the wind was thrashing a plastic bag caught in the low branches of a cherry blossom tree. The singer crescendoed like a hawk gliding towards its perch. I contemplated it for a moment, the beauty of a bag dancing on a tree. The guitar soloed the main theme like steps on a carpet of pink petals. I thought about how after time, the bag would wrap itself round the branches, caught and ugly. I approached the bag and de-tangled it from the tree.

Written by Shelagh Patterson

Most people might assume that rain and fog would not be ideal conditions for a celebration. And, although sunshine would have been preferred, there was something fitting about the mist that floated over the Hudson River last Saturday when New Yorkers gathered in Fort Washington Park to celebrate the Little Red Lighthouse. For the past 11 years, Manhattans most beloved lighthouse has had one day in the "spotlight" every year, and this year was no different. Organized by the Historic House Trust and the New York Restoration Project, the free event included hayrides, a fish fry, lighthouse tours with the Urban Park Rangers, music by the Stout Trio and others, and celebrity guest readings of Hildegarde H. Swifts The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge by Academy Award winner Marcia Gay Harden and Sex in the Citys Cynthia Nixon. The all-day event was sponsored by ConEdison, with additional support from Commerce Bank.

Originally named the North Hook Beacon located at Sandy Hook, New Jersey from 1880-1917, the lighthouse was dismantled in 1917 and was reassembled at Jeffrey's Hook in Fort Washington Park as a navigational aid for boats on the Hudson. As readers of Swifts book know well, the completion of the brightly lit George Washington Bridge in the 1930s caused some to question whether lighthouse was still needed. It was decommissioned by the US Coast Guard in 1947, and plans were made for its sale and removal. Swifts book, very popular among children, effected national outcry over the potential destruction of the lighthouse.

"Thanks to a childrens letter writing campaign, our Little Red Lighthouse was saved," said Historic House Trust Executive Director Therese Braddick. "Every year, we read Hildegarde Swifts book and celebrate the magic of lighthouse." In 1979, Little Red was added to the National Register of Historic Places. And in 1996, it was placed in the care of the Historic House Trust.

Throughout the day, Urban Park Rangers led adults and children up to the very top which, in spite of the weather, afforded breathtaking views along the Hudson. Throughout the year, the Urban Park Rangers lead scheduled free tours to individuals and school groups. On a tour to the top, visitors learn that the lighthouseafter its reconstruction in 1921was equipped with a 100-candlepower acetylene flashing red lamp, part of a fifth order Fresnel lens. It flashed every 3 seconds with each flash lasting 1 second in duration. However, the lighthouse was stripped of this light after it was decommissioned. Wanting to relight the lighthouse, the Historic House Trust added Little Red's name to the Coast Guard wait-list for Fresnel lenses. In 2001, the Coast Guard gave them a 300mm fresnel, running on electricity. A very close match, the light was relit last year and now flashes every night in a sequence of 1 second on, 2 seconds off.

Both of this years readersCynthia Nixon and Marcia Gay Hardenare New Yorkers and mothers. During each of the readings, children gathered around the actors on the stage and were often called on to answer questions about the book. Although the book was written before they were born, the lesson of Little Redthat even small things can be very importantstill holds true.

At the event there were many other activities for visitors to enjoy, including nature activities with the Urban Park Rangers, and clowns acts. Among the many exhibitors also there were the South Street Seaport, the United States Postal Service, Alliance for the American Revolution, the Cloisters, and the John J. Harvey, the decommissioned fireboat that helped battle the fires during the 9/11 tragedy.

Of course, as the Little Red Lighthouse festival continues to grow, more people become aware of the New York City treasure. As the final line of the book says, "If you dont believe it, go see for yourselves!"

For information about visiting the lighthouse, please contact Parks & Recreations Urban Park Rangers. For information about visiting other historic house sites in New York City parks, visit www.historichousetrust.org. The Historic House Trust of New York City works in partnership with Parks & Recreation and is a not-for-profit organization created in 1989 to preserve and promote the historic houses located in New York City parks.

"We cannot tear out a single page of our life,

but we can throw the whole book in the fare."

(1804-1876)

Professor Ginkgo,

The Little Red Lighthouse-- why is the light in the lighthouse no longer shining? I recall that in September 2002 we celebrated the restoration of its light. My second question regards the rocks outside of the Cloisters in Fort Tryon Park-- I noticed signs of water along the rock outcroppings in Fort Tryon Park. It had been a few days since it had rained and I could not find a source from whither the water could come. Professor, why do the rock outcroppings appear to be producing water?

The lighthouse hasnt always been where it now stands. In 1880, a forty-foot tall lighthouse was born in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. Named "the North Hook Beacon" and constructed of 48 cast-iron plates, the lighthouse was a small-scale version of many others built in the 19^th century. It remained there until 1917 when it was taken apart because it stood in the line of fire of Fort Hancocks gun battery.

In 1921, the Little Red Lighthouse was put back together again at Fort Washington Park to help navigate boats along the Hudson River. In 1942, Hildegarde Swift wrote the now famous childrens book entitled The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge, and a generation of children fell in love with the little beacon. The completion of the George Washington Bridge, however, ultimately made the lighthouse unnecessary (for navigational purposes, at least). In 1947, the U.S. Coast Guard decommissioned the lighthouse and made plans for its sale.

A national childrens letter writing campaign ultimately saved the lighthouse, and on July 23, 1951, the Coast Guard donated the Little Red Lighthouse to the City. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places and placed under the care of the Historic House Trust in 1996. It was restored to its old glory in 2000.

Now, on to the story of its lightwhich is almost as unusual as the lighthouse itself. Its original sequence was 1 second on, 2 seconds off. When it was reconstructed in 1921, it was equipped with a 100-candlepower acetylene flashing red lamp, part of a fifth order Fresnel lens. Its sequence was 1 second on, 3 seconds off.

When it was decommissioned, the lighthouse was stripped of this light. Wanting to rekindle its old spark, the Historic House Trust had added Little Reds name to the Coast Guards waiting list for Fresnel lenses. In September 2001, the Coast Guard was able to grant its request, having located a 300mm electric-powered fresnel (lower case 'f'). Although it was not the exact type of lens originally in Little Red, the light was a very close match.

The lens was installed in the lighthouse in anticipation of last Septembers festival. Originally, the Historic House Trust tested a light-sensitive switch for the light to operate on. When the George Washington Bridge was given new lighting, however, its brightness prevented the sensor from working properly. Ultimately a system was put in place that works on a timer. Every day from 6:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m., the Little Red Lighthouse flashes in its original sequence, 1 second on, 2 seconds off.

The light was never brightits as true to the original as possibleso its best viewed on a clear night from the Hudson. But the light is on, and I invite you to check it out again for yourself and youll seen.