"Sisters Island Lighthouse is 12.5 miles northeast of Alexandria Bay. The stone structure was built in 1870, and housed a sixth-order Fresnel lens in a 60-foot tower incorporated into the keeper's residence. The lighthouse and neighboring shed are the only structures on tiny Three Sisters Island. Once three separate islands, the islands are now linked together.
The lighthouse was built to mark a difficult channel on the Canadian side of the island. It took nine years of negotiation before the lighthouse was actually built. After the lighthouse entered service, the channel was relocated to the American side of the island. Bedrock at the bottom of the river was blasted to clear the channel. During a storm, a barge carrying dynamite exploded, killing nine crew members.
The first keeper was Civil War veteran William Dodge, who was replaced by his son. Together, the Dodge family served the Sisters Island light for 51 years. Horace Walts later served both Sisters Island and Sunken Rock.
In about 1890 the passenger steamer Ocean collided with the barge Kent. The Dodges were awakened by a violent crash as the Ocean hit the rocks at Sisters Island, her captain steaming his sinking vessel at full speed to the shallow island waters.
One serious annoyance at Sisters Island was the numerous shadflies which inhabited the area. These large insects would occasionally block the oxygen intake of the lamp and extinguish the flame. If this were not enough, the resulting gas leak was a hazard to the entire station. When the shadfly population was high, the keepers had to constantly monitor the flame.
With the opening of the St. Lawrence Seaway in 1959, the light was replaced by a nearby buoy. Today, the light is a private residence and is no longer active."
"Inventory of Historic Light Stations
New York Lighthouses
THREE SISTERS ISLAND LIGHT
State: NEW YORK
Location: ST. LAWRENCE RIVER
Nearest City: CHIPPEWA BAY
County: ST. LAWRENCE
U.S.C.G. District: 9
Year Station Established: 1870
Existing Historic Tower:
Year Light First Lit: 1870
Is the Light Operational? NO
Date Deactivated: 1950's
Automated:
Foundation Materials:
LIMESTONE BLOCK ON ROCK REEF
Construction Materials:
DRESSED LIMESTONE BRICK
Markings/Patterns:
NATURAL W/WHITE TRIM
Shape: SQUARE
Relationship to Other Structures:
INTEGRAL
Tower Height: 60
Original Optic:
Year Original Lens Installed:
Present Optic:
Year Present Lens Installed:
Height of Focal Plane:
Fresnel Lens Disposition:
Has tower been moved? NO
Previous Tower(s): N/A
Modern Tower? NO
Existing Sound Signal Building? NO
Existing Keepers Quarters? YES
Year Constructed: 1870
Number of Stories: 1.5
Architectural Style: INTEGRAL
Construction Materials:
LIMESTONE BRICK
Other Structures: SHED
Current Use:
Owner/Manager: PRIVATE OWNER
Open to the Public? NO
Web Site:
National Register Status: NONE; Reference # 0
Name of Listing:
On State List/Inventory? NO; Year Listed:
Miscellaneous:"
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If you look closely, you can see an Osprey Nest on one of the chimneys of the house.