Deepwater Shoals Light
The Deepwater Shoals Light was a lighthouse located in the James River upstream from Newport News, Virginia.
 Undated photograph of Deepwater Shoals Light (USCG) | |
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| Location | Off Fort Eustis in the James River, northwest of Newport News, Virginia |
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| Coordinates | 37°8′11.46″N 76°38′12.48″W |
| Year first lit | 1855 |
| Deactivated | 1936 |
| Foundation | wood-pile |
| Construction | cast-iron/wood |
| Tower shape | hexagonal house |
| Tower height | 27 feet (8.2 m) |
| Original lens | sixth-order Fresnel lens |
| Characteristic | fixed white |
History
This light was erected in 1855 to mark the western edge of the channel. Ice damaged the light in the following year, and again in 1867; in the latter case the light had to be rebuilt completely, at which time the light was upgraded to a sixth-order Fresnel from the previous masthead light. During the Civil War the light was extinguished by confederate forces; relit in 1862, the Lighthouse Board reconsidered and removed the lighting apparatus to Fort Monroe for safekeeping.
Decommissioning came in 1936, and the house was torn down in 1966. A steel tower light has been erected on the old iron foundation.
Notes
References
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Virginia" (PDF). United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
- Deepwater Shoals Light, from the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society
- de Gast, Robert (1973). The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 150.
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