Visit inside HARBOR LIGHTHOUSE by appt.
We're happy to bring you up into the lantern room.
Built when the city was the world's 2nd leading whaling port, New London's Custom House has kept watch on the harbor since 1833. The Amistad arrived here in 1839. Electric Boat, which developed some of our earliest submarines, launched the first nuclear-powered sub, the Nautilus, in 1954.
From the roof of the Custom House Maritime Museum, today's harbor landmarks include three lighthouses, a 19-c fort, a US Coast Guard station, and an active submarine factory. There are ferries, tugs, tankers, submarines, tall ships, fishing boats, and dinghies. You might spot the USCG barque Eagle moored at Fort Trumbull -- NL is her home port. Summer brings weekly waterfront events, among these SailFest in July (with spectacular fireworks), and the CT Maritime Heritage Festival in September.
Now, with our New London Harborcam, everyone who loves the waterfront can keep watch on the scene. You never know what you'll discover. And when you're in town, be sure to stop by the Custom House Maritime Museum to learn more about our local maritime history and New London's harbor sites.
New London
HarborCam
Thank you to the Chelsea Groton Foundation & everyone who made this possible.
Keep Up with What's Up at the Custom House Maritime Museum here!
New London Maritime Society - Custom House Maritime Museum -- telling the stories of the waterfront and preserving three lighthouses: New London Harbor, New London Ledge, & Race Rock.
Said a salty old skipper from Wales,
“Number one, it’s all right to chew nails.
It impresses the crew.
It impresses me, too.
But stop spitting holes in the sails!”
— John Ciardi (1916–1986).
Replacing the Custom House Maritime roof, and once-&-for-all keeping out the water will be the most-significant repair we possibly can make!
