Marcus Hook Range Rear Light Explained

Coordinates:	39.7623°N -75.5031°W
Yearlit:	1920
Automated:	1950s
Shape:	Square
Height:	105feet
Focalheight:	278feet
Lens:	Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), RL-24 (current)
Characteristic:	Fixed red (initially fixed white)
Module:	Embed: yes Marcus Hook Range Rear Light Added: March 27, 1989 Refnum: 89000287

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.^[1] The lighthouse is visible on the horizon from the windows of high-rise buildings in downtown Wilmington, Delaware.^[2]

History

The permanent structure was preceded by a temporary light on a post, erected in 1915.^[1] 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.^{[3] [4]}

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 stood about offshore, to the northeast of Marcus Hook Range Rear Light.^[1] Its tower was erected in 1925 and was preceded by a temporary light tower erected in 1915.^[1] It has always been automated.^[5]

Replacement range

In June 2019, a new rear range light was erected approximately where the front range light was, and a new front range light was erected upstream. The (old) rear range light was turned off.^[6]

Notes and References

1. "The rear range light of Marcus Hook on the Delaware River, 278 feet above the level of the sea, is the highest light on the Atlantic Coast of the continental United States." Book: Trapani, Bob. Bob Trapani

   . Delaware Lights: A History of Lighthouses in the First State. Bob Trapani. 2007. The History Press. 978-1-59629-021-1. 138.

2. Web site: Photo of the Marcus Hook Range Rear Light from Wilmington, DE. 4 March 2020 .
3. Web site: Marcus Hook Rear Range, DE. Lighthouse Friends.
4. Book: DeWire, Elinor. Lighthouses of the Mid-Atlantic Coast: Your Guide to the Lighthouses of New York, New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. Voyageur Press. 2011. 154. Minneapolis. 9780760339510. 2012-10-05.
5. Web site: Marcus Hook Range Lighthouse .
6. Web site: Marcus Hook Range Lighthouse .