Crown Point Light and Champlain Memorial Lighthouse
A former lighthouse is now a tribute to explorer Samuel de Champlain.
New York State has nearly 50 lighthouses, several right here in the ADK. Lake Champlain has a rich history as a vital waterway between New York and Canada. According to Adirondack Architectural Heritage, ten lighthouses built in the 19th century still stand on Lake Champlain.
The Crown Point Light was first erected in 1858. The site is on a small point of land just south of the Champlain Bridge, close to what remains of Fort St. Frederic, which was active in the 1700s.
Upon the 300th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s exploration of the lake that now bears his name, the powers-that-be decided to convert the Crown Point Light into a monument. Stonemasons removed the tower's stone exterior, leaving only the brick spiral staircase sitting on the foundation.
Workers then constructed a new tower around the stairs. It has a tapered base, a ring of eight Doric columns, an elaborately carved cornice and parapet, and a new lantern atop the whole.
Facing the water, a statue of Champlain, flanked by a Native American and a French Voyageur, was sculpted by American Carl Auguste Heber. Below the figures is the bust "LaFrance," an exquisite bronze bust sculpted by the famous Frenchman Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) and spontaneously presented by the French government in May 1912.
Rodin was an art superstar at the time. You may be familiar with his legendary sculptures, “The Thinker” and “The Kiss.” When the memorial was dedicated on May 3, 1912, the president of the French delegation remarked in two short sentences: "The United States is raising a monument to a Frenchman, and France sends you, through us, her tribute of gratitude. Once more, the two great democracies are thinking and acting in unison."
At the rededication ceremonies in 1959, Congressman John Lindsay's address included, "This monument is a noble testimony to the friendship of two great nations and their abiding respect for enduring traditions."
To visit the lighthouse, enter the NYS DEC campground at Crown Point. It's a steep climb on the circular stone staircase and the last part is a ladder up to the viewing area of the Lighthouse. The views are excellent from the top of the lighthouse.
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