Brandywine Shoal Light Station
a.k.a. Brandywine Shoal Light
In lower Delaware Bay, about 8.8 mi. WNW of Cape May Point, Cape May Point, NJBrandywine Shoal Light Station is historically significant for its association with the Federal government's efforts to provide for an integrated system of navigational aids throughout the United States. It is also significant for its role in promoting safe maritime transport in the Delaware Bay region, a major center of maritime commerce in America since colonial times. This light station marks a hazardous shoal just inside the Bay's entrance, and is the first offshore lighthouse that mariners encounter upon entering the Bay from seaward. The light on Brandywine Shoal has aided navigation along the Delaware Bay's principal shipping channel since the middle nineteenth century, and the existing lighthouse has been a prominent landmark since its completion in 1914. The structure standing today is unusual in United States light station engineering. It was the first offshore light in the country where both the caisson-type foundation pier and superstructure are made of reinforced concrete. Most lights of that type have a cast iron caisson. This structure's concrete pier and tower were built more quickly, cost less money, and cost less to maintain than a corresponding cast iron lighthouse. The success of this structure demonstrated the suitability of using reinforced concrete foundations for lighthouse construction in open waters. It convinced the U.S. Bureau of Lighthouses to adopt this design concept. In addition to its historic character, the light on Brandywine Shoal also meets registration requirements outlined in the Light Stations of the United States multiple property documentation form. It remains in its original location, and the structure's appearance, character and setting are essentially unchanged from its period of significance. This property also continues to serve its original function as an operating Federal aid to navigation.
Local significance of the structure:Listed in National Register of Historic Places in 2007.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Park Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archeological resources.