Avery Point Light or Avery Point Lighthouse is a lighthouse in Groton, Connecticut, United States, on the Avery Point Campus of the University of Connecticut. Although construction was completed in March 1943, the lighthouse was not lit until May 1944 due to concerns of possible enemy invasion. Its original light consisted of eight 200-watt bulbs that were later replaced by a flashing green light in 1960. It was deactivated on June 25, 1967, when the United States Coast Guard Training Station moved to Governors Island. It is officially listed as the last lighthouse built in the state; the only other claimant is the replica Mystic Seaport Light.The lighthouse deteriorated until it was declared a hazard by the University of Connecticut in 1997. A restoration effort was launched in 1999 through the American Lighthouse Foundation (ALF) and in 2000 by a new local chapter, the Avery Point Lighthouse Society. The restoration of the lighthouse began in 2001 and was completed in 2006, requiring a replica lantern and extensive structural repairs and replacement of the crumbling of the blocks. Two bills for $150,000 and $100,000 were appropriated and used to complete the restoration. The relighting and re-dedication of the lighthouse was held on October 15, 2006. The lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2002.ConstructionThe land upon which Avery Point Light was constructed was owned by Morton F. Plant's estate; his Branford Manor is located several hundred feet away. Twenty four years after Plant's death the estate was sold to the state of Connecticut before being transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard. The Coast Guard's deed required the construction and maintenance of beacon lights or other navigational aids as part of the Coast Guard's new training facility. The Avery Point Light was named for Captain James Avery of New London, Connecticut.
