National Register of Historic Places

Marcus Hook Range Rear Light

Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
Listed
March 26, 1989
Type
Building
Period
Industrial
Ref No.
89000287

About this property

Marcus Hook Range Rear Light is a lighthouse near Bellefonte, Delaware marking a range on the Delaware River. It is the highest light on the Atlantic coast of the United States. The lighthouse is visible on the horizon from the windows of high-rise buildings in downtown Wilmington, Delaware. The permanent structure was preceded by a temporary light on a post, erected in 1915. The present tower was built in 1918 and was composed of nine sections of reinforced concrete; there is also an oil house and a keeper's dwelling on the site. The original beacon displayed a fixed white light using a Fourth order Fresnel lens; this was removed in the early 1980s and replaced with a RL-24 beacon, displaying a fixed red indication. The light was automated in the 1950s, but the keeper's house was occupied by Coast Guard personnel until 2004. In March 2005 the lighthouse became available for transfer under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, but in 2010 a private owner bought the lighthouse and the accompanying home on the property. The tower is an active aid to navigation and not open to the public. The Marcus Hook Range Front Light stood about 100 yards (91 m) offshore, 1.6 miles (2.6 km) to the northeast of Marcus Hook Range Rear Light. Its tower was erected in 1925 and was preceded by a temporary light tower erected in 1915. It has always been automated. In June 2019, a new rear range light was erected approximately where the front range light was, and a new front range light was erected upstream. The (old) rear range light was turned off.

Location

Wilmington, New Castle County, Delaware
39.76235, -75.50328

Categories

ENGINEERINGMARITIME HISTORY
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Nearby Historic Sites

Rosemont
Industrial
0.9 mi
Laurel
Industrial
1.1 mi
Rockwood Estate Historic District (Additional Documentation)
Listed
1.1 mi
Riverview Cemetery Company of Wilmington, Delaware
Listed
1.3 mi
Mount Pleasant Methodist Episcopal Church and Parsonage
Industrial
1.3 mi

Nearby Battles

Battle of Brandywine — Birmingham Hill
1777Revolutionary War
5.4 mi
Battle of Birmingham Hill (Brandywine)
1777Revolutionary War
6 mi
Skirmish at Brandywine – Birmingham Hill
1777Revolutionary War
6.2 mi

Questions about this property

When was Marcus Hook Range Rear Light listed on the National Register?

Marcus Hook Range Rear Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 26, 1989.

What type of historic resource is Marcus Hook Range Rear Light?

Marcus Hook Range Rear Light is classified as a building in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Marcus Hook Range Rear Light?

The period of significance for Marcus Hook Range Rear Light is recorded as the industrial era.

Can I research the history near Marcus Hook Range Rear Light?

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