Deepwater Shoals Light

The Deepwater Shoals Light was a lighthouse located in the James River upstream from Newport News, Virginia.

Deepwater Shoals Light

Undated photograph of Deepwater Shoals Light (USCG)
Location	Off Fort Eustis in the James River, northwest of Newport News, Virginia
Coordinates	37°8′11.46″N 76°38′12.48″W
Tower
Constructed	1855
Foundation	wood-pile
Construction	cast-iron/wood
Height	27 feet (8.2 m)
Shape	hexagonal house
Light
First lit	1855
Deactivated	1936
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.

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. ISBN 9780801815485.