Delaware Breakwater Lighthouse, Sussex Count, Delaware
Activated in 1885, made of cast iron.
DELAWARE BREAKWATER LIGHT
Location: Lewes Harbor / Delaware Bay entrance
Station Established: 1885
Year Current Tower(s) Lit: 1885
Operational? NO
Automated? YES - 1950
Deactivated: 1996
Foundation Materials: CAISSON
Construction Materials: BRICK W/CAST IRON PLATES
Tower Shape: CONICAL
Height: 60.5 above mean high tide.
Markings/Pattern: BROWN TOWER ON WHITE PIER
Relationship to Other Structure: INTEGRAL
Original Lens: FOURTH ORDER, FRESNEL
Foghorn: 2nd class Daboll trumpet.
Historical Information:
- In 1973 the Fresnel lens was replaced with an airport style beacon.
- In 1996 the light was decommissioned.
- The State of Delaware assumed ownership of the lighthouse in 1999. In that same year the exterior of the light was painted.
- The Delaware Bay and River Authority signed a lease for the light in 2001.
- In 2004 The Delaware River and Bay Lighthouse Foundation formed a partnership with the Delaware River and Bay Authority to manage the lighthouse. The group began restoration efforts and began limited public tours.
Researched and written by Anne Puppa, a volunteer through the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.