The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse, in the Hudson River between Athens in Greene County and Hudson in Columbia County, has been named to The National Trust for Historic Preservation’s list of Most Endangered Historic Places in the United States.
Opened in 1874, the lighthouse was then one of several “middle-of-the-river” lighthouses on the Hudson River. Now, it’s one of only two left standing. However, due to erosion and other preservation challenges, engineering reports indicate the building is at risk of collapse within three years if no action is taken.
Erosion caused by ever larger and deeper commercial ships traveling the Hudson River, as well as ice flows, tides, and currents, has significantly damaged the 200 underwater wood pilings that support the lighthouse, and engineering reports indicate the building is at risk of collapse within three years if no action is taken.
Preservation challenges only compound as roof leaks cause plaster damage, shifting causes facade cracks, metal gutters and railings rust, and timbers supporting the fog bell are weakened by rot.
An estimated $7.5 million in funding is needed to stabilize the pilings and address preservation needs.
Since 1982, the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society has worked to preserve the lighthouse and operate its museum. They have begun a campaign to raise funding to restore the lighthouse and install an underwater steel curtain which would keep it from collapsing into the river.
Hudson-Athens Lighthouse History
In the late 1860s, hazards created by the Middle Ground Flats of the Hudson River opposite the City of Hudson made navigation of the river at that point extremely dangerous for the busy shipping route. After much petitioning to the Congress of the United States, a survey was completed and an appropriation of $35,000 was approved by Congress in 1872 to build the Hudson City Lighthouse, now known as the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse.
Construction began in early 1873, and the lighthouse was completed and put into operation in November 1874. The facility served as a manned lighthouse until the 1950s at which time the lighthouse was automated and a live-in keeper was no longer a necessity. Today, the lighthouse still serves as an aid to navigation, guiding ships safely around Middle Ground Flats.
The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse was operated by the US Lighthouse Service followed by the United States Coast Guard. However, in 1967, then Governor, Nelson A. Rockefeller, established the Hudson River Valley Commission to explore possible uses for the Hudson River Lighthouses. The Commission recommended that the Coast Guard deed over or lease the facilities to public or not-for-profit groups. These groups would then rehabilitate, maintain and operate the facilities for public benefit.
In 1979, the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places, named Hudson-Athens Lighthouse “forever and all time,” ending the two-county controversy. This acted as a combining force for the private citizens of two communities to unite in the effort to retain and maintain the edifice.
Not until 1982, did any local group seriously attempt to follow through with the recommendations of the Hudson River Valley Commission. In 1982 a group of citizens from Columbia and Greene Counties formed the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Committee, operating under the auspices of the Columbia Community Foundation.
Since then, with private donations, public grants, and legislative initiatives, the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Committee (now Society) has undertaken the analysis and mitigation of structural, aesthetic, interpretive and public access issues that face the property.
A lease was signed on February 15, 1984. The 20-year lease joined the Columbia Community Foundation (what would become the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society) and the U.S. Coast Guard. It was the first lease signed with a government agency and a private group for a Hudson River Lighthouse.
On May 25, 1984, the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Committee received a provisional charter allowing them to operate independently of the Columbia Community Foundation. On July 29, 1988, this provisional charter was replaced with a certificate of incorporation.
The Lighthouse title was transferred as part of the Congressional Appropriations Act of 1999. The U.S. Coast Guard officially transferred the deed to the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society on July 3, 2000 making the Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society its sole owner.
The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society, Inc. is a private, not-for-profit 501(c) 3 organization with members from Columbia and Greene Counties, surrounding communities and states. The Society is solely responsible for the restoration, preservation, maintenance and operation of the lighthouse and receives no ongoing governmental or private financial support. The lighted beacon remains the responsibility of the U.S. Coast Guard.
Read more about lighthouses in New York State.
Photos, from above: Hudson-Athens Lighthouse in the Hudson River (detail of photo by David Oliver, provided by National Trust for Historic Preservation); restoration plans for Hudson Athens Lighthouse, 2023; Hudson-Athens Lighthouse in winter (courtesy Jonathon Simons); and a front view (courtesy Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society).
