The lighthouse at Saugerties has a date block that reads 1869 set into the brickwork facing the Hudson River.  A lighthouse was first established at Saugerties in 1836 to guide ships past the shallows near the mouth of Esopus Creek.  That first lighthouse and it's keeper served fatihfully for 30 years, dodging ice flows on the Hudson.  The "new" lighthouse was built atop a stone caisson in 1869.  The lighthosue was closed in 1954 and fell into disrepair at the hands of vandals.  The lighthouse was placed on the Register of Historic Places in 1976 and the Saugerties Lighthouse Conservancy was formed ten years later and helped to generate the public interest necessary to raise funds for the restoration of the lighthouse.  A new, modern lens was installed by the USCG and was exhibited again beginning in August 1990.  The lighthouse is a gentle half mile walk through the Ruth Glunt Nature Preserve to the shores of the Hudson and is now a popular bed and breakfast destination.