The United States of America is a federal union of 50 states and a capital district. The northeastern state of New York includes in the southeast the great port and financial center of New York City and Long Island extending to the east of the city; in the west and north it extends to Lakes Erie and Ontario and the lower St. Lawrence River. Rich in waterways, the state of New York is equally rich in lighthouses. This page includes the lighthouses of western New York from Wayne County westward including the Rochester and Buffalo areas. There are additional pages for Central and Northern New York, for New York City and the Hudson River. and for Long Island. Navigational aids in the United States are operated by the U.S. Coast Guard but ownership (and sometimes operation) of historic lighthouses has been transferred to local authorities and preservation organizations in many cases. Aids to navigation on Lakes Erie and Ontario are operated by the Coast Guard Ninth District in Cleveland, Ohio; the Aids to Navigation Team Buffalo does the maintenance work. ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. USCG numbers are from Volume VII. For lights close to the Canadian border CCG numbers are from the Canadian Coast Guard's List of Lights, Buoys and Fog Signals.
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Lake Erie Lighthouses
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![]() Buffalo Main Light, Buffalo Harbor, October 2009 Wikimedia/U.S. Coast Guard public domain photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Blackwell |
Niagara River Lighthouses
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Lake Ontario Lighthouses
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![]() Charlotte-Genesee Light, Rochester, September 2016 photo copyright Tom Connor; used by permission |
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![]() USCGC Neah Bay passing Sodus Outer Light, 4 July 2011 Flickr photo copyright Cathy Contant; used by permission |
Inland Lighthouses
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Notable faux lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: North: Southeastern Ontario | East: Central and Northern New York | West: Northwestern Pennsylvania
Return to the Lighthouse Directory index
Checked and revised January 17, 2024. Lighthouses: 26. Site copyright 2024 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.