Marcus Hook Range Rear Light facts for kids
The Marcus Hook Range Rear Light is a tall lighthouse located near Bellefonte, Delaware. It helps ships navigate safely on the Delaware River. This lighthouse is special because it's the highest light on the Atlantic coast of the United States. You can even see its light from tall buildings in downtown Wilmington, Delaware!
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| Lightouse viewed from shore. | |
| Location | Just South of Bellefonte, Delaware |
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| Coordinates | 39°45′44.2″N 75°30′11.3″W / 39.762278°N 75.503139°W |
| Year first constructed | 1915 |
| Year first lit | 1920 |
| Automated | 1950s |
| Foundation | Concrete |
| Construction | Reinforced concrete |
| Tower shape | Square |
| Height | 105 feet (32 m) |
| Focal height | 278 feet (85 m) |
| Original lens | Fourth order Fresnel lens |
| Current lens | RL-24 |
| Characteristic | Fixed red (initially fixed white) |
| Admiralty number | J1314.1 |
| ARLHS number | USA-474 |
| USCG number | 2-3140 |
History of the Marcus Hook Lighthouse
The first light at this spot was a temporary one, just a light on a post, set up in 1915. The tall tower you see today was built in 1918. It is made from nine sections of strong Reinforced concrete. There is also a small building for oil and a house where the lighthouse keeper used to live.
When it first started working, the lighthouse shone a steady white light. It used a special lens called a Fresnel lens. This type of lens helps make the light very bright and focused. In the early 1980s, this old lens was replaced with a newer, modern light. The new light shines a steady red color.
In the 1950s, the lighthouse became "automated." This means machines took over the job of keeping the light running. So, a lighthouse keeper was no longer needed to operate the light. However, people from the Coast Guard continued to live in the keeper's house until 2004.
In 2005, the lighthouse became available for new ownership under a special law. This law helps protect historic lighthouses. In 2010, a private owner bought the lighthouse and the house next to it. Even though it's privately owned, the tower still works as an important navigation aid for ships. It is not open for the public to visit.
The Front Light
Lighthouses often work in pairs to create a "range." This helps ships stay on the correct path. The Marcus Hook Range Front Light is the other part of this pair. It stands about 100 yards (91 m) (about 91 meters) out in the water. It is located about 1.6 miles (2.6 km) (about 2.6 kilometers) northeast of the taller Rear Light.
Like the Rear Light, the Front Light also had a temporary light first, set up in 1915. The current tower for the Front Light was built in 1925. This Front Light has always been automated, meaning it never needed a human keeper to operate it.
