Delaware Breakwater Range Rear Light

This light was erected in 1881 to form a range to guide ships around Cape Henlopen and into the relatively sheltered area behind it, which was also protected by the Delaware Breakwater.[2] A typical skeletal tower of the period was constructed near Lewes on the shore of Delaware Bay and equipped with a third order Fresnel lens.[2] A wooden keeper's dwelling was also constructed; this was supplemented with a second dwelling for an assistant in 1910, built of concrete. The original house was sold and eventually burned.[2] Extensive ornamental gardens were planted on the grounds in 1901.[2]

The original front light was the Delaware Breakwater Range Front Light, a much older light situated at the west end of the breakwater as originally constructed; in 1903 this light was discontinued and the Delaware Breakwater East End Light was designated as the front light instead.[3]

the light as re-erected in Florida

Cape Henlopen continued to shift, and in 1918 the range was eliminated and the rear light was extinguished.[2] In 1919 it was dismantled,[2] and in 1927 it was reassembled as the rear light of the Boca Grande Entrance Range on Gasparilla Island in Florida, where it still stands.[3] At the original site the second dwelling survives, along with an oil house and a barn.[2] The City of Lewes has considered restoration of the site as part of its trails system.[2]