History:
Growth of the lumber trade with Canada had caused water transportation to peak by the time the new lighthouse was erected in 1871. It was built a mile out into the lake opposite Colchester Point to mark the center of three dangerous shoals where many ships had foundered earlier. The new compact design with its integral tower was well suited for the stone-crib base constructed on the underwater reef. The fixed sixth order red light in the 35-foot tower was visible for 8 miles at a height of 51 feet above the lake on its rip-rapped crib perch. However, this was always a dangerous location with storms and ice jams buffeting the structure, scaring the keepers and damaging the lens. The lighthouse continued in use until 1933 when an automatic light was placed on a buoy, allowing the old station to be abandoned.

In 1952 the Shelburne Museum purchased the deteriorating structure and moved it, piece-by-piece, to its on-shore site where the lighthouse was reassembled on a stone-crib foundation. The last operating Lake steamer, the Ticonderoga, was moved across the frozen ground from Shelburn Bay to reside alongside it in 1955.

Latitude/Longitude: 44°23.8'N 73°13.1'W

• From Burlington take I-89 south to exit 13, I-189.
• Take I-189 for about 1 mile and take the exit for US 7. Take the exit for US 7 south.
• Once on US 7 south, take it into Shelburne. The museum will be on your right. If you don't want to pay the admission fee to enter the museum, or get there too late (like we did) you can see the lighthouse from US 7. Just pull off to the side of the road and snap a few photos. The ones you see on this page were taken from US 7. :-)

View Larger Map