This curious structure stands at the intersection of Grand Street and Old Post Road South. Called a “Dummy Light” it’s one of a dying breed as explained in an article in Westchester Magazine entitled: Red-Light District:

The term “dummy light” is something of a misnomer, in that the upright, freestanding traffic-control mechanism functions the same way modern traffic lights do. “But some Crotonites speculate that they’re called ‘dummy’ lights because anything that stands still in the middle of traffic all day can’t be very smart,” offers a tongue-in-cheek Carl Oechsner, president of the Croton Friends of History and a self-described backyard historian.

One of three such traffic lights left in New York State and only a few more nationwide, the Croton dummy light—perched proudly on Old Post Road South and Grand Street—was installed circa 1926. After 75 years of faithful service to the community, says Oechsner, the seven-foot structure got a facelift when the son of former mayor Roland Bogardus reinforced the original base. With a dozen 15-watt LEDs supplying the luminosity, this red-brick remnant of a time since passed is but one more example of what’s cool about Croton.

A more complete description (with numerous illustrations) by the same author can be found in A Dummy Forever! on the Croton Friends of History site.

The Beacon “Dummy” light can been seen as the fourth image in another post on this site Main street, Beacon.

Taken with a Sony RX-100 M3.