Reedy Island Range Rear Light
About this property
Reedy Island Range Rear Lighthouse is a skeletal tower lighthouse near Taylor's Bridge, Delaware. The tower is an active aid to navigation. This and several other range lights were built as part of a channel dredging project in the early 1900s. The new channel (heading north toward Philadelphia) made a series of turns somewhat south of Reedy Island, which lies close to the Delaware shore off Port Penn. Prior to this the channel leading from the south was marked by the Port Penn Range, the rear light of which would be moved to become the Liston Range Rear Light (the Liston Range replacing the older range). Then a new short segment was added turning north, which was confusingly first named the Reedy Island Range but was renamed the Baker Range when permanent lights were erected. The last segment, past Reedy Island, became the Reedy Island Range. Construction (and the case of the Liston Range, relocation) of permanent lights was delayed, and a collection of temporary lights was used when the channels were first dredged. In the case of the Reedy Island Range the original rear light was a locomotive headlight on a tall pole which was first lit in 1904. The original proposal for a permanent light would have moved the Finns Point Range Light to serve this location instead, but mariners objected to this, and in 1906 the lighthouse board had to request an appropriation for construction of a new tower, which was not funded until 1908. This tower was of conventional skeletal design, originally equipped with a fifth order Fresnel lens, since replaced with an aerobeacon. A keeper's house and other supporting structures had long since stood where the tower was to be erected, having been erected back in 1906 with funds from the original appropriation for the range. A second house and skeleton tower stood at water's edge. The light was automated at an unknown date and continues in use. The light station was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1989. The keeper's house was destroyed in a 2002 fire. Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. DE-11, "Reedy Island Range Rear Light, Route 9, Taylors Corner, New Castle County, DE"
Location
Categories
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.
Everything a full report reveals about Reedy Island Range Rear Light
This page lists Reedy Island Range Rear Light. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Reedy Island Range Rear Light listed on the National Register?
Reedy Island Range Rear Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on March 26, 1989.
What type of historic resource is Reedy Island Range Rear Light?
Reedy Island Range Rear Light is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Reedy Island Range Rear Light?
The period of significance for Reedy Island Range Rear Light is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Reedy Island Range Rear Light?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Reedy Island Range Rear Light will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in New Castle County
Historic places, battles, and census history across New Castle County.
Explore New CastleCounty ›More historic places in Delaware
Browse all historic places in Delaware.
View Delawarehistoric sites ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Reedy Island Range Rear Light will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.