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Fire Island National SeashoreLone fisherman on the beach with line in the surf.
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Fire Island National Seashore
Places
 

Fire Island National Seashore's major cultural resources include the historic Fire Island Light Station and the William Floyd Estate. Both of these facilities are maintained to interpret the rich local and maritime heritage.

Because of the frequent remolding of the Fire Island landscape by wind and wave, and other adverse factors in the environment such as salt spray, there are few intact structures more than 50 years old on Fire Island and adjacent islands and bays.

None of the lifesaving stations that were established on Fire Island during the 19th and early 20th centuries remain intact, but a few structures have been moved or converted to other uses. 

 
Historic aerial view of Fire Island Light Station and generator building.
Historic view of current Fire Island Light Station, with 1894 electric powerhouse building beside foundation of the first Fire Island Lighthouse,which had been constructed in 1826 and removed in 1857.

Learn More

The NPS Cultural Landscapes Inventory (CLI) is a comprehensive inventory of all historically significant landscapes with the National Park System, identifying and and documenting each landscape's location, physical development, significance, National Register of Historic Places eligibility, condition, and other valuable information for park management. The information contained in the CLI is based on historical research, documentation, and fieldwork, derived from secondary sources usually available in park files and archives and from on-site investigations.

A Cultural Landscape Report (CLR) involves more in-depth research, using primary rather than secondary source material.

Fire Island National Seashore has a recently completed CLI for the Fire Island Light Station, located on Fire Island, one of two cultural landscapes that have been identified within the boundaries of the park.

 

 

 

One person sits on a bench while others walk on a boardwalk trail with the black-and-white banded Fire Island Lighthouse in the background.
Fire Island Lighthouse Hours
Grounds and exhibits are open all year.
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Small group of students listen intently to park ranger conducting tour inside William Floyd Estate house.
"Old Mastic House" Tour
Discover 250 years of history on a 1-hour, 25-room guided tour at the William Floyd Estate.
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Close view of sand showing bands of colors: white, dark grey, and reddish purple.  

Did You Know?
New York's state gem—the garnet—may be found among the sands that comprise Fire Island's beaches. Due to differences in size and weight of the grains of sand, you may sometimes see ribbons of garnet and magnatite among the white quartz, as the sand settles on the beach.
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Last Updated: April 04, 2007 at 15:45 EST