Historic Beacon, NY, Landmark Damaged During Road Work

A Main Street Beacon staple has seen better days.

The Dummy Light that sits at 528 Main St in Beacon is not just a staple, it's a local historic landmark. According to RoadsideAmerica.com "Only three of these old, dangerous, middle-of-an-intersection traffic lights are still standing."

At least, it was still standing until April 26th, 2022. Jean Noack, Beacon resident and member of the Beacon Historical Society, the Beacon Sloop Club, and the Howland Cultural Center, shared the photo below in the Beacon, NY Facebook group and wrote:

Beacon's beloved and iconic Dummy Light was hit sometime today during the road work on Main Street. It's base appears to have been left intact, with its post left laying on the ground. This photo (right) taken tonight shows how the light has been left overnight. Diane Charash Lapis, head of the Beacon Historical Society, was notified tonight of the defiling of this precious Beacon historical treasure. The mayor could not be reached immediately for comment on the actions of the city employee that resulted in the damage.

Many Beacon residents also expressed their concern over the damaged Dummy Light. Comments ranging from "How could someone hit it" to "Wow there goes history" started to filter in after the photos were posted. Noack even shared one of her personal paintings of the Dummy Light with the words "Save the Dummy Light" added to it.

Thankfully, it looks like the landmark dummy light will be fixed. City Administrator Chris White added this to the active comment section writing:

This was damaged in an accident and will be restored. The City is not trying to remove this light: it was damaged during the milling of Main Street. Please take a deep breathe, everyone. This was an accident, and our driver feels terribly about it.

We've reached out to Chris White for more details about the future of the Beacon Dummy Light and he told us:

The dummy light will return!

Have you seen the Beacon Dummy Light? Better yet, have you seen the other 2 Dummy Lights posted in New York? Rumor has it they're located in Croton-on-Hudson and Canajoharie in upstate New York.