# Fenwick Island Light > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fenwick_Island_Light > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Fenwick_Island_Light.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenwick_Island_Light > Source revision: 1301486309 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Lighthouse in Delaware, United States Lighthouse Fenwick Island Light Spring 2008 Location Fenwick Island, Delaware Coordinates 38°27′05″N 75°03′18″W / 38.45137°N 75.05496°W / 38.45137; -75.05496 Tower Constructed 1858 Foundation Natural Construction Brick Automated 1940 Height 87 feet (27 m) Shape Conical Heritage National Register of Historic Places listed place Light First lit 1859 Deactivated 1978-1982 Focal height 25 m (82 ft) Lens Third order Fresnel lens Range 15 nautical miles (28 km; 17 mi) Characteristic White flash every 13s Fenwick Island Lighthouse Station U.S. National Register of Historic Places Area 218 acres (88 ha) Built 1858 (1858) Architectural style Gothic NRHP reference No. 79000642[1] Added to NRHP August 13, 1979 **Fenwick Island Lighthouse** is a [lighthouse](/source/Lighthouse) in [Delaware](/source/Delaware), [United States](/source/United_States), on the Delaware/[Maryland](/source/Maryland) state line. The structure dates back to 1858 making it the oldest lighthouse in the state of Delaware.[2] ## History In 1856, the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress) appropriated $25,000 for the Fenwick Island Lighthouse and on January 11, 1858 a ten-acre tract for the station was obtained from Mary C. Hall for only $50. The Fenwick Island Lighthouse was completed on December 29, 1858, but would not be lit until August 1, 1859. Construction was supervised by U.S. Army Captain [William F. Raynolds](/source/William_F._Raynolds). The lighthouse was built on an isolated peninsula in the southernmost portion of Delaware at the Maryland state line. It is 87 feet tall, brick, with a central cast iron spiral staircase, and equipped with a third-order [Fresnel lens](/source/Fresnel_lens). It was automated in 1940.[3] The lighthouse was decommissioned in 1978 and remained dark for several years. A public movement to save the lighthouse resulted in ownership of the lighthouse being transferred to the State of Delaware, and the lighthouse was relit in 1982.[4] In 1997, after extensive fundraising efforts made it possible, the rapidly aging lighthouse underwent a full restoration. It was rededicated in July 1998.[5] The lighthouse is owned by the state of Delaware and maintained by the private, non-profit New Friends of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse. The "isolated" lighthouse now stands surrounded by a neighborhood of houses and businesses. Visitors can enter the base to view a small museum and gift shop. The lighthouse, however, is not open for climbing. It was added to the [National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places) in 1979.[1] - Spring 2008 - Looking west-northwest (2009) - Main entrance to lighthouse (2009) - Lantern room ## References 1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-nris_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-nris_1-1) ["National Register Information System"](https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP). *[National Register of Historic Places](/source/National_Register_of_Historic_Places)*. [National Park Service](/source/National_Park_Service). July 9, 2010. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Unknown Author (March 11, 2011). [*Lighthouses of the Mid-Atlantic Coast*](https://books.google.com/books?id=p_2IBZC4LMAC&dq=Fenwick+Island+Light+oldest&pg=PA149). Voyageur Press. p. 149. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [9780760339510](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/9780760339510). Retrieved August 27, 2018. {{[cite book](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Template:Cite_book)}}: |author= has generic name ([help](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Help:CS1_errors#generic_name)) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-NRHPnom_3-0)** Dick Carter (January 1979). ["National Register of Historic Places Inventory/Nomination: Fenwick Island Light"](https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/79000642_text). and [Accompanying 13 photos](https://npgallery.nps.gov/NRHP/GetAsset/NRHP/79000642_photos) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["New” Friends of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse website](http://fenwickislandlighthouse.org/) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Lighthousefriends website](http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=452) ## External links Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Fenwick Island Lighthouse](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Fenwick_Island_Lighthouse). - [Official Fenwick Island Lighthouse Website](http://www.fenwickislandlighthouse.org) - includes 2009 season visiting information - [Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Fenwick Island Light](http://cblights.com/lights/fenwickisland.html) v t e Lighthouses of Delaware Main: List of lighthouses in the United States Baker Shoal Range Front Light Baker Shoal Range Rear Light Bellevue Range Rear Light Cape Henlopen Beacon Cape Henlopen Light Cherry Island Range Rear Light Christiana Light Christiana North Jetty Light Delaware Breakwater East End Light Delaware Breakwater Range Front Light Delaware Breakwater Range Rear Light Fenwick Island Light Fourteen Foot Bank Light Harbor of Refuge Light Liston Range Front Light Liston Range Rear Light Mahon River Light Marcus Hook Range Front Light Marcus Hook Range Rear Light Mispillion Light New Castle Range Front Light New Castle Range Rear Light Reedy Island Range Rear Light v t e U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Topics Contributing property Keeper of the Register Historic district History of the National Register of Historic Places National Park Service Property types Lists by county Kent New Castle (Northern) New Castle (Southern) Sussex Lists by city Newark (New Castle County) Wilmington (New Castle County) Other lists Bridges National Historic Landmarks Category:National Register of Historic Places in Delaware Portal:National Register of Historic Places Authority control databases: Geographic ARLHS Admiralty: J1354 MarineTraffic USCG: 2-0205 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Fenwick Island Light](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenwick_Island_Light) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fenwick_Island_Light?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.