About Bug Light

Long Beach Bar "Bug" Lighthouse helps mariners navigate around the long, hazardous sandbar (the Long Beach Bar) located between Orient Harbor and Gardiner’s Bay. The original structure was built in 1870 on tall screw piles which left an opening beneath the structure. During high tide, the rock pile below it would be covered with water, leaving the impression that the lighthouse was standing only on its piles resembling a giant water bug , inspiring its nickname "Bug" Light.

A fire destroyed Bug Light the night of July 4, 1963, after which it lay in a state of ruin for more than twenty five years. However, from 1989-90, hundreds of local residents contributed not only financial support but also materials, equipment and labor to rebuild the lighthouse. This outpouring of generosity combined with innovative planning and construction produced remarkable results. The project took only 60 days from inception to completion, making it one of the most unique lighthouse restoration projects in the world.

The much-photographed replacement lighthouse, a near replica of the original Bug Light, was built on land in the Greenport Yacht and Shipbuilding. It was launched down the yard’s railway in several pieces on September 5, 1990, accompanied by a Navy band and 40-millimeter 21 gun salute. After the new Bug Light was constructed on the existing foundation, a relighting ceremony for its 10-inch, solar powered light, which sits 63 feet above the water, was celebrated with a fireworks celebration. 

That group of dedicated local mariners, builders, and residents who came together to restore the lighthouse back to its original state formed the group that would become the East End Seaport Museum. The EESM owns and is responsible for taking care of the lighthouse structure, an endeavor that it actively pursues through capital campaigns and maintenance efforts, and the United States Coast Guard maintains the light as a Federal Aid to Navigation.