Point of Shoals Light

Infobox Lighthouse


caption = Undated photograph of Point of Shoals Light (USCG)
location = In Burrell Bay on the James River
coordinates = coord|37.0683|N|76.6530|W|type:landmark
yearlit = 1855/1871
automated = 1932
yeardeactivated = 1933
foundation = screw-pile
construction = cast-iron/wood
shape = hexagonal house
height =
lens = sixth-order Fresnel lens
currentlens =
range =
characteristic = Fixed white The Point of Shoals Light was a lighthouse located in the James River in Virginia.

History

The first request for a light to mark the shoal at this bend in the river came in 1835, but a light was not constructed here until 1855. It was the target of a Confederate raid in the Civil War, and by 1869 concerns were raised about its safety. These concerns were realized two years later when damage from ice flows brought about the rebuilding of the structure.

This light was automated fairly early, in 1932. Its unmanned life was brief, as continued shoaling in old channel led to the dredging of a new channel on the opposite side of the river the following year, at which point the light was deactivated. The house was removed in the 1960s, but the iron foundation remains, unlit.

References

* [http://www.uscg.mil/hq/g-cp/history/WEBLIGHTHOUSES/LHVA.html Virginia Light Stations] , from the United States Coast Guard
* [http://www.cheslights.org/heritage/pointofshoals.htm Point of Shoals Light] , from the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society
*cite book
last= de Gast
first= Robert
title= The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake
year= 1973
publisher= Johns Hopkins University Press p. 149