Port Penn Front Range Light

New Castle County · dedicated 2003 · 1704-1770 St Augustine Road, Port Penn

In 1875, Congress approved funding to build several lighthouses along this segment of the Delaware River. This site was purchased in April 1876, and by December the Port Penn Front Range Light was completed. Constructed under the direction of the U. S. Army Corps of Engineers, it was a two-story frame structure with a lantern room above. The light was powered by a double-wick oil burner. The floors below served as living space for the lighthouse keeper and his family. Keepers were Henry C. Walter (1876-1885), and George W. Duncan (1885-1904). The facility was renovated and expanded circa 1898. Due to changes in the shipping channel, the light was closed in October 1904. The property was sold as surplus in 1911.

Barry Lawrence Ruderman Map Collection, Stanford Libraries

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