The federal government has given a non-profit group ownership of an iconic lighthouse that sits in the middle of the Thames River between New London and Groton near Long Island Sound.
Government officials gave the deed to the 106-year-old New London Ledge Light to the New London Maritime Society during a ceremony Thursday.
The Maritime Society will continue to provide public access to the red, three-story, brick-and-granite lighthouse. The Coast Guard retains the right to access the building because it remains a navigational aid.
The nonprofit Ledge Light Foundation will continue to lease the building and continue its efforts to maintain and restore the structure.
The Maritime Society previously obtained two other historic lighthouses that guide boaters into New London Harbor -- the Race Rock and New London Harbor lights.
