HISTORY OF CAPE HENLOPEN
AND BEYOND
SUSSEX COUNTY
FENWICK ISLAND LIGHTHOUSE
One of the most famous
landmarks of Sussex county is the Fenwick Island Lighthouse
which has thrown it's light
beam 2 miles or more for a century out to sea faring mariners.
There was not much hustle
and bustle of activity around Fenwick when it was built in 1857
under the direction of
Captain William F. Reynolds, U. S. Army Engineers. In the late
1700's and mid 1800's there were numerous shipwrecks off the
Fenwick seashores, so, the light
was set there to help the
ship master around the dangerous coast.
The 1865 authorization by
Congress for 10 acres in Delaware which held the sandstone land
marker of the
Transpeninsular Line that made peace with William Penn and Lord
Baltimore.
The original land site for
the lighthouse was 600 square feet from the Maryland – Delaware
state line, then north
into Delaware. In 1932, on the 10th of July, a 60 foot strip,
running
east and west was
transferred by May 11, 1932 Congress, for the construction of a
road.
This tract of land sat one
third mile from the surf, was a low dune covered with scrub oak
and beach grasses.
The 82-1/2 foot tall tower
of white wash brick cost $23,784, the exterior conical wall is
27 inches at base and 18 inches at top. The interior conical
wall, 7 inches thick, 8 feet in diameter, hold the spiral
stairway to the lantern and watch walkway.
First light of the Fenwick
Island Lighthouse came on August 1, 1859 and came from a
large whale oil lamp that
took the service of two men for the next 75 years. Much later the
lighthouse was changed over to electric which was generated by
two diesel powered motors
and was much more superior
than the oil lamps that had replaced the whale oil lamp in 1882.
The 1859 keeper was John
Smith, W. R. Hall replaced him in 1861, and served seven years,
1869 the keeper D. H.
Warrrington had an assistant Ed Pepper. Later keepers were Jame
Bell,
John Gunn, john D.
Bennett, Sam Soper, W. Sykes, Chester Grey and George Walker.
Lighthouse records report
in 1878 the light needed two keepers that were employed but the
keep house was too small
for both, so in 1881 a second keepers house was built, which housed
the keeper while the
assistant keeper lived in the older keepers house.
It was 30 years before a
wooden pile bridge was built to connect the island to the mainland.
The wooden bridge was 225
feet long, 12 feet wide with a 34 foot draw span. The 1500
square feet of land needed
for this bridges abutments was deeded to the government by
brothers William and
Frances Gum in 1928. The bridge was taken over by the state of
Delaware which build a new more modern bridge in 1934. .
Prior to the bridge one had
to use a large scow large enough for a team of horses and wagon,
and the driver needed to
pull himself and team across by means of a pull rope. The summer
of 1958 new $200,000
bridge across the Assawomen Canal 100 yards north of the old
traffic hazard bridge.
During the Spanish
American War in 1898 a telephone was connected to the Life Saving
Service was added by the
National Defense Department and signal code flags were
furnished.
1899 saw the ' third order
burner ' replaced with a 'forth order burner' that gave a light
from
the lamp upon the lens
rings and a much better light was projected from the lens.
October 21, 1940 3/4th
of the lighthouse tract north of the road was sold
to Charles
Gray.
Now, in 1959, a
detachment of the Coast Guard Station at Indian River is in
charge of
the Fenwick Island
Lighthouse. At one time there was a Life Saving Station a mile and
half north of the
Fenwick light, that was built there in 1891 and gave employment
to
a captain and seven men,
occupied by Captain Stration Schallinger, John Henry Bishop,
Charles Noble, Charles
Derrickson, George Grise, Asher Tingle, John Burbage and James
Evans. This coast Guard
Station was recently closed and all Sussex county Coast Guard
are now stationed at
either Indian River or Lewes stations.
Abstract: Delmarva News,
Selbyville, Thursday, August 6, 1959
