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Fenwick Island Light Station Visiting Hours for 2009

May 1 to June 30 open 10am to 2pm; Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday.
July 1 to September 30 open daily 10am to 2pm. Closed Wednesdays.
October 1 to October 12 open 10am to 2pm; Friday, Saturday, Sunday & Monday.

We are a participating United States Lighthouse Society "Passport" location!

Get your passport book stamped here!

Click here to learn more about the "Passport" program.

AUGUST 1, 2009 ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION 150 YEARS!

The New Friends of the Fenwick Island Light Station will celebrate August 1, 2009, Fenwick Island Light Station 150th Anniversary! We will celebrate with extended visiting hours and a party! Join us between 10am to 5pm.

August 1, 1859

In 1856, the United States Lighthouse Board recommended the construction of a lighthouse to help mariners avoid the shoals off Fenwick Island. Congress agreed with the United States Lighthouse Board authorized $25,000 for the establishment of a lighthouse on Fenwick Island. The United States Government paid $50 for 10 acres of land on the site just feet from the Transpeninsular Marker that defines the Delaware and Maryland State lines. The station was completed and the lamp was lit for the first time August 1,1859.

The 87-foot tower has an unusual design in that the outer brick tower is conical, while a second inner brick tower is an 8-foot diameter cylinder. The lighthouse housed a third-order Fresnel lens. The Fenwick Island Light beam could be seen fifteen miles in the ocean. The original lamp burned whale oil. The keeper's residence, built just east of the tower, included cisterns in the basement for collecting rain water. The entire cost of the project came to $23,748.96.

AUGUST 7, 2009 NATIONAL LIGHTHOUSE DAY!

The New Friends of the Fenwick Island Light Station will celebrate August 7, 2009, National Lighthouse Day, with extended visiting hours. Join us between 10am to 5pm!

Origin of National Lighthouse Day...

Senator John H. Chafee (Rhode Island) sponsored a joint resolution that was introduced to Congress on April 28, 1988 designating the day of August 7, 1989 as “National Lighthouse Day.” The summary of the resolution stated, “Designates August 7, 1989, as National Lighthouse Day and calls for lighthouse grounds, where feasible, to be open to the public.” The resolution passed the Senate on July 26, 1988 and the House (sponsored by Representative William J. Hughes, New Jersey) on October 21, 1988. President Ronald Reagan signed the Bill into public law (No. 100-622) on November 5, 1988. American Lighthouse Foundation

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New Friends of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse, Inc. P.O. Box 1001 Selbyville, DE 19975

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