“Rock & dock” is done!
The East End Seaport Museum & Marine Foundation will celebrate a major milestone in the preservation of Greenport’s iconic Long Beach Bar Lighthouse — better known as Bug Light — with a ribbon-cutting ceremony June 25 marking the completion of the first phase of a multi-year restoration campaign.
The event, scheduled for 4 p.m., will begin at the museum’s waterfront headquarters in Greenport. Weather permitting, attendees will travel aboard the Peconic Star to the lighthouse, where museum officials will showcase the completed “Rock & Dock” phase of the Keep Bug Light Shining campaign.
The milestone comes just five months after the museum announced it had secured the $880,000 needed to launch the first phase of construction through a combination of community donations and matching grants from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation and Empire State Development. The project was designed to address deteriorating conditions at the offshore lighthouse, whose foundation and access structures have been battered for decades by tides, storms and saltwater exposure.
According to the museum, work completed this spring included replenishing and stabilizing the rock revetment surrounding the lighthouse, constructing a new perimeter walkway, installing new pilings, docks and access ramps, and removing accumulated debris from the site. The improvements restore safe access to the lighthouse while providing a stable foundation for future restoration work.
The completion of the Rock & Dock phase represents the first step in a broader preservation effort aimed at restoring the lighthouse structure itself and eventually expanding educational and visitor opportunities at the site. Future plans include restoring the lighthouse interior and exhibit space, improving visitor access and ensuring the landmark’s long-term sustainability.
Bug Light, which marks the entrance to Greenport Harbor and Peconic Bay, occupies a special place in local maritime history. The original 1870 lighthouse was destroyed by fire in 1963 and remained a ruin for more than 25 years before a community-led effort rebuilt it in 1990. That restoration project ultimately helped give rise to the East End Seaport Museum itself.
Museum officials said fundraising will continue for the next phase of restoration, which will focus on preserving the lighthouse structure and protecting the landmark for future generations.
