The Horseshoe Reef Lighthouse is a dilapidated lighthouse in Lake Erie between New York State and Canada near Buffalo, New York and at the head of the Niagara River, which empties Lake Erie into Lake Ontario.

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Horseshoe Reef Lighthouse

Location	United States
Coordinates	42.88135°N 78.91512°W / 42.88135; -78.91512
Tower
Constructed	1859–1860
Light
First lit	1 September 1856
Deactivated	1919 or in 1920
Lens	Fresnel lens

The United Kingdom ceded one acre of territory surrounding Horseshoe Reef, an underwater hazard, to the United States on December 9, 1850. As such, the lighthouse played a minor role in the territorial evolution of the United States. On March 3, 1851 the US Congress allocated funding to build a lighthouse there, a contingency agreed upon for the transfer of the land. Construction was problematic but first light was finally achieved on September 1, 1856 using a Fresnel lens.

Operation ceased on August 1, 1919 or in 1920 and the lighthouse has been so far simply left to the elements and most of the house has rotted away.

The lighthouse is on the "Doomsday List" of the Lighthouse Digest magazine.

At present, the remains of the lighthouse serve as a habitat for cormorants.

External links

• Horseshoe Reef Lighthouse
• Horseshoe Reef Light