BENEFIT PREMIERE: The History of Race Rock Light

The H.L. Ferguson Museum

invites you to the premier of

“The History of Race Rock Light”

This 45-minute video directed by Marisela La Grave and Pierce Rafferty 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.

Date: Tuesday, July 26, 2022
Time: 4 p.m.
Place: Fishers Island Theater

Immediately followed by a
Fishers Island Oysters & Champagne Reception
for in-person attendees

Please note, this presentation will not be virtual.

We hope that you are able to attend this event to benefit the New London Maritime Society’s restoration and preservation plan for Race Rock Light.

Admission to the premiere is free, but we will be “passing the hat” for the benefit of the New London Maritime Society’s restoration and preservation plan for Race Rock Light. Susan Tamulevich, the director of the New London Maritime Society (NLMS), owner of Race Rock Light, and the Preservation Project’s architect, Walter Sedovic of Walter Sedovic Architects, will speak about the restoration project. Click below to access 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.

Any funds raised at the Theater benefit will go toward “Landing Integrity and Safety,” the first priority in the restoration assessment report. If writing a check, please make it payable to the New London Maritime Society with ‘Race Rock Preservation’ in the memo section. NLMS will also be accepting cash and, Wi-Fi-willing, credit card donations. 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.

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.

For those attending, the Champagne & Fishers Island Oyster reception will immediately follow in the FI Conservancy’s Demonstration Garden, or, in the case of rain, under the marquee awning of the Theater. Masks are optional but we do recommend social distancing.

Race Rock Light photo by Gail Cypherd