In an endeavor to make shipping easier, the Marcus Hook channel was widened and deepened in 1910. Eight years later, in 1918, construction began on the Marcus Hook lighthouse, helping to mark the channel for navigation. Completed the following year in 1919, the light station was built atop a bluff for added height. The tower itself was built of nine square sections of reinforced concrete and stands at a height of 100 feet, giving the tower an overall focal plane of 250 over the waters of the channel. The tower was originally fitted with a fourth order Fresnel lens, but was later automated and the lens was replaced with a RL 24 search light style optic, powered by a 1000-watt bulb.
In 1925, an 85-foot skeletal tower was built one and a half miles northeast of the Marcus Hook station. These two beacons were then used in conjunction as range lights, both giving off a red light.
Today, the lighthouse remains in operation and is sill owned and operated by the Coast Guard. The original 1918 keeper’s quarters, which sits beside the tower, is a private residence.
Photo taken June 14, 2004
To visit the Marcus Hook Rear Range Lighthouse, take I-495 north from Wilmington. Take exit 4 and follow the exit ramp around until you are on the service road beside the interstate heading south. Continue south about 1/8 to 1/4 mile and there will be a road on the right that goes underneath the interstate. Make a right on this road, and when you come to the stop light, make another right and you will be on Governor Printz Boulevard heading north. Once on this road, get in the left lane and travel about a half-mile. Make a left turn onto Lore Avenue and travel up the hill until you come to Lighthouse Road. Then make a left on Lighthouse Road and the lighthouse will be visible on the right side of the road. The lighthouse is not open to the public, but is clearly visible from the street.
