"A river would seem an odd place to find a lighthouse, but then again, the Hudson is no ordinary river. The Hudson is brackish up to Poughkeepsie and tidal all the way to Troy just north of Albany, a span of roughly 150 miles of navigable water. Along that route a number of hazards, shallows, rocks, and dangerous currents exist necessitating lights to identify. A total of 14 light houses were constructed, 7 in total remain today including this one in Tarrytown.

The lighthouse goes by many names including the Sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, Tarrytown Light, and Kingsland Point Light. Constructed in 1883, one may wonder why such effort was made to build a lighthouse offshore when it is only a few feet from the riverbank, surely a lighthouse on the shore would have been equally effective. But the shore today and the shore of the 1800s are in very different locations. When the lighthouse was constructed it was roughly a quarter mile from shore, depending on where exactly you measure to on the shore. The nearest point of land was the southern end of Kingsland Point Park, where the sharp bend in the shoreline is today. In 1923 the Pocantico River was rerouted to the north and a large section of its former bay was filled in. In the 1950s another section of the shore was extended for the General Motors assembly plant, moving the shore to its position relative to the lighthouse we see today.

The lighthouse is a caisson design also referred to as a spark plug light. It operated from 1883 until it was automated in the 1950s and finally decommissioned in 1961 when lights on the nearby Interstate 287 bridge made it unnecessary. This was the only Hudson River lighthouse to have living quarters within itself for both the keeper and his family. In total 10 keepers manned this lighthouse over its decades of operation.

The lighthouse was recently restored in May of 2024 costing $3.4 million. Only a year later the lighthouse was closed after four individuals broke in and set a fire ruining much of the interior and historical artifacts. As of the autumn of 2025 it remains closed to the public."

cdk007

"There is a nice walking path running along the side of the Hudson River leading to the sleepy Hollow Lighthouse, formally known as Terrytown Lighthouse in sleepy Hollow, New York.
You can get pretty close to it, but there is a gate blocking access so access is limited.
It is a cute little White House, not far from the Tappan Zee Bridge. There is a wall lung, the opposite side of the path near the lighthouse that has lots of minerals/artwork…
Other than paying to park nearby, visiting did not cost me anything."

K Lap

"Gorgeous scenery. I was disappointed the walkway was closed to the public at the time of my visit, though. But I’d definitely check it out again."

Alexandria Pecia