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"Fenwick
Island Lighthouse" by Paul McGehee. Delaware's famous Fenwick Island
Lighthouse, built in 1858, stands on a small peninsula at the
Delaware/Maryland border. The U.S. Congress voted on the funding and
construction of a light at the southernmost point of the Delaware
coastline in 1856...the 10-acre tract needed for the lighthouse was
purchased from a private landowner for the sum of only $50.00! The 87'
tall beacon tower of the all-brick lighthouse was completed in less
than a year by a U.S. Army Captain and experienced construction
engineer named William F. Raynolds. Aside from his talents in
engineering, Raynolds was an explorer, mountain-climber, cartographer
and became a decorated officer in the Union Army during the years of
the Civil War. His detailed maps of Virginia and West Virginia helped
win the war for the Union forces, and Raynolds was eventually promoted
to the rank of Brigadier General. Fenwick Island Lighthouse was
equipped with a state-of-the-art Fresnel lens which could broadcast its
light for miles beyond that of a normal beacon. The lighthouse guided
the way for ships from 1859 until its decommissioning in 1978. It was
placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1979 by way of
protecting it from developers. Public outcry eventually saw the light
saved and relit, and the historic lighthouse tower and buildings were
fully restored through private funding in 1998. The lighthouse is now
owned by the state of Delaware and maintained by the non-profit "New
Friends of the Fenwick Island Lighthouse" organization. Through the
continuing efforts of many, the Fenwick Island Lighthouse shines again!
"Fenwick Island Lighthouse" is faithfully reproduced
as an archival-quality print from
McGehee's original color pencil drawing, each hand-signed by the artist.
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