The History of Race Rock Light (2022)

Directed by Marisela La Grave and Pierce Rafferty

This recorded illustrated talk first premiered at the Fishers Island Theater on July 26, 2022 for the benefit of the New London Maritime Society’s restoration and preservation plan for Race Rock Light. It chronicles the remarkable story of how a lighthouse came to be erected in the 1870s on a dangerous submerged ledge amidst some of the most unpredictable and swiftest moving tides on the East Coast. The video was funded by a grant from the Jeanann Gray Dunlap Foundation.

Any funds raised at the Theater benefit will go toward “Landing Integrity and Safety,” the first priority in the restoration assessment report. NLMS is a non-profit, 501 (c) 3 organization. All donations are tax-deductible. If mailing a check, send to: New London Maritime Society, 150 Bank Street, New London, CT 06320.

Donate to the New London Maritime Society 2022 Race Rock Light Preservation Fund:

For more information, download the Race Rock Light restoration assessment which outlines the nearly $3M restoration project and details the projected work and why it is both important and necessary.

The New London Maritime Society is dedicated to lighthouse preservation. In addition to Race Rock (1878), the Maritime Society also owns New London Harbor Lighthouse (1760, rebuilt 1801) and New London Ledge Light (1909)—all active aids to navigation. Together these are the three historic beacons leading from the ocean to New London harbor.