Liston Range Rear Light
Encyclopedia
Liston Range Rear Lighthouse is a lighthouse
in Delaware
, United States
, on the Delaware River
. The 120 feet (36.6 m) wrought iron
tower was made by the Kellogg Bridge Company of Buffalo, New York
. The light was built several miles to the east of its present location in 1876-1877, and was moved in 1906. The light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
in 1978. It is the tallest lighthouse in Delaware.
The light operates as one of a pair of lights, or a range, which, when aligned, indicates to the navigator that a vessel navigating by these lights is on the correct course. Together with the Liston Range Front Light, they form the Liston Range. The front range light is lower in elevation, while the rear is tall, so that the lights are superimposed when on the correct bearing.
The Liston Rear Range Light was one of four lights forming a complex known as Liston's Tree Range. One set of two lights was located in New Jersey
, forming the Finn's Point Range Lights, with the other pair in Delaware became the Port Penn Range Lights. The front lights were placed in low wood-framed structures, while the rear lights were designed as tall, skeletal wrought iron towers. Both rear lights were substantially similar, except that the rear Port Penn light was 30 feet (9.1 m) higher.
Within the tapering skeletal structure an 8 feet (2.4 m) diameter cylindrical stair tower rises to the underside of the lantern. The shell is composed of two 0.25 inch (0.635 cm) plates overlapped and offset by 3 inches (7.6 cm), so when stacked they interlock. A small iron-plate vestibule forms the entrance at the base. A curved inner door (now removed) rolled sideways at the cylinder. The cylinder is lined with wood, with the stairway spiraling up within around a 9 inches (22.9 cm) diameter central column. The topmost section of the cylinder contains a watchroom, from which the lantern may be reached by a ladder. The lantern contained a second-order fixed white light that operated 24 hours a day.
The light first operated on April 2, 1877 and continued until October 25, 1904, when a new channel required the light to be moved. The renamed Liston Range was temporarily illuminated by a locomotive-style lamp on a 100 feet (30.5 m) pole until the rear light could be moved. The new second order light from Barbier, Bernard et Turenne of Paris, France was first illuminated on May 15, 1906. A new keeper's house, barn and oil house were built to service the new location. In the 1930s the light was electrified and the keeper's house was sold. A 250 watt bulb was mounted in an automatic bulb changer that moved a fresh bulb into position if one burned out. The light shines from a 4 feet (1.2 m) square window aligned with the range.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, on the Delaware River
Delaware River
The Delaware River is a major river on the Atlantic coast of the United States.A Dutch expedition led by Henry Hudson in 1609 first mapped the river. The river was christened the South River in the New Netherland colony that followed, in contrast to the North River, as the Hudson River was then...
. The 120 feet (36.6 m) wrought iron
Wrought iron
thumb|The [[Eiffel tower]] is constructed from [[puddle iron]], a form of wrought ironWrought iron is an iron alloy with a very low carbon...
tower was made by the Kellogg Bridge Company of Buffalo, New York
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...
. The light was built several miles to the east of its present location in 1876-1877, and was moved in 1906. The light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1978. It is the tallest lighthouse in Delaware.
The light operates as one of a pair of lights, or a range, which, when aligned, indicates to the navigator that a vessel navigating by these lights is on the correct course. Together with the Liston Range Front Light, they form the Liston Range. The front range light is lower in elevation, while the rear is tall, so that the lights are superimposed when on the correct bearing.
The Liston Rear Range Light was one of four lights forming a complex known as Liston's Tree Range. One set of two lights was located in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, forming the Finn's Point Range Lights, with the other pair in Delaware became the Port Penn Range Lights. The front lights were placed in low wood-framed structures, while the rear lights were designed as tall, skeletal wrought iron towers. Both rear lights were substantially similar, except that the rear Port Penn light was 30 feet (9.1 m) higher.
Within the tapering skeletal structure an 8 feet (2.4 m) diameter cylindrical stair tower rises to the underside of the lantern. The shell is composed of two 0.25 inch (0.635 cm) plates overlapped and offset by 3 inches (7.6 cm), so when stacked they interlock. A small iron-plate vestibule forms the entrance at the base. A curved inner door (now removed) rolled sideways at the cylinder. The cylinder is lined with wood, with the stairway spiraling up within around a 9 inches (22.9 cm) diameter central column. The topmost section of the cylinder contains a watchroom, from which the lantern may be reached by a ladder. The lantern contained a second-order fixed white light that operated 24 hours a day.
The light first operated on April 2, 1877 and continued until October 25, 1904, when a new channel required the light to be moved. The renamed Liston Range was temporarily illuminated by a locomotive-style lamp on a 100 feet (30.5 m) pole until the rear light could be moved. The new second order light from Barbier, Bernard et Turenne of Paris, France was first illuminated on May 15, 1906. A new keeper's house, barn and oil house were built to service the new location. In the 1930s the light was electrified and the keeper's house was sold. A 250 watt bulb was mounted in an automatic bulb changer that moved a fresh bulb into position if one burned out. The light shines from a 4 feet (1.2 m) square window aligned with the range.
External links
- Rear Light, County Road 2, Biddles Corner vicinity, New Castle County, DE: 2 drawings, 10 photos, 12 data pages, at Historic American Building Survey
- Liston Range Rear Light, DE at Lighthouse Friends