Marcus Hook Range Rear Light facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Marcus Hook Range Rear Light

Lightouse viewed from shore.
Location	Just South of Bellefonte, Delaware
Coordinates	39°45′44.2″N 75°30′11.3″W / 39.762278°N 75.503139°W / 39.762278; -75.503139
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

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.

History

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.

Front Light

The Marcus Hook Range Front Light stands about 100 yards (91 m) offshore, 1.6 miles (2.6 km) to the northeast of Marcus Hook Range Rear Light. The present tower was erected in 1925 and was preceded by a temporary light tower erected in 1915. It has always been automated.