Bowlers Rock Light
Encyclopedia
The Bowlers Rock Light was a lighthouse
located in the Rappahannock River
in Virginia.
This spot was marked by lightship
s beginning in 1835. In 1861 the first lightship was destroyed by confederate raiders, and second ship replaced it in 1864, to be replaced with a screw-pile lighthouse
in 1868. Although a square house was constructed, the foundation had six plies, the two extra being provided to protect the light from ice. In spite of this a report in 1895 remarked that the light had suffered such damage and was unlikely to survive. This prediction was fulfilled in 1918, when the light was destroyed. It was officially deactivated two years later. In 1921 a small caisson structure
with an automated light replaced the lighthouse, and with variations in light source, continues in service to the present.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located in the Rappahannock River
Rappahannock River
The Rappahannock River is a river in eastern Virginia, in the United States, approximately in length. It traverses the entire northern part of the state, from the Blue Ridge Mountains in the west, across the Piedmont, to the Chesapeake Bay, south of the Potomac River.An important river in American...
in Virginia.
History
.This spot was marked by lightship
Lightvessel
A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship which acts as a lighthouse. They are used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction...
s beginning in 1835. In 1861 the first lightship was destroyed by confederate raiders, and second ship replaced it in 1864, to be replaced with a screw-pile lighthouse
Screw-pile lighthouse
A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse was built by blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell...
in 1868. Although a square house was constructed, the foundation had six plies, the two extra being provided to protect the light from ice. In spite of this a report in 1895 remarked that the light had suffered such damage and was unlikely to survive. This prediction was fulfilled in 1918, when the light was destroyed. It was officially deactivated two years later. In 1921 a small caisson structure
Caisson lighthouse
A caisson lighthouse is a lighthouse whose superstructure rests on a concrete or metal caisson.Caisson lighthouses were developed in the late nineteenth century as a cheaper, more efficient alternative to screwpile lighthouses; they could better withstand harsh weather, and were not as fragile...
with an automated light replaced the lighthouse, and with variations in light source, continues in service to the present.