Delaware Breakwater Front Light- West End Light
was established in 1849 and known locally as Strickland Light. It was used as Maritime Exchange in 1880 and was used as a transfer point for messages and other essentials from ship to shore. The building was demolished in the 1960s
Photographs © Rachel Cathell Media
The Breakwater Lighthouse- East End Light
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Just off of Cape Henlopen sits the Breakwater Lighthouse, a beacon of light as one enters the bay. In 1884 the light was commissioned to assist mariners especially so because the old Cape Henlopen Beacon was being ravaged by the rising tide. For over 200 years, ships had maneuvered this point, referring to the nearby shoal as the "hens and chicks".
The lighthouse was completed in Oct. of 1885 with a fresnel lens, which still sits inside today, however the Lighthouse went out of service in 1996.
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"The breakwater was a popular site during storms, when as many as two hundred vessels could be found safely anchored behind its protective arm." Visit the Lighthouse Friends Page
Photographs © Rachel Cathell Media
Harbor of Refuge
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The Harbor of Refuge Light was originally a tower frame structure signaling the approach of bay in 1902. Then in 1908 it was replaced with a light equipped with a fresnel lens and a foghorn. This structure became inhabitable by the late 1920's when a hurricane shook the tower, infiltrated its second story windows and flooded the lighthouse. After it took the beating, the white metal tower lighthouse we see today was constructed. Present day, the light is operated by solar power and the only still operating lighthouse.
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Visit the Delaware River and Bay Lighthouse Foundation.
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Photographs © Rachel Cathell Media
The Old Cape Henlopen Lighthouse
