Jordan Point Light
Encyclopedia
The Jordan Point Light was a lighthouse
located on Jordan Point
on the James River
in Virginia
, near the south end of the present Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge
.
Erosion continued to eat away at the projecting point, and in 1927 the whole station was abandoned. In 1941 a new skeleton tower was erected at the site of the old tower; the skeleton tower is in service as the rear light of the Jordan Point Range, Light List #2-12420.
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 on Jordan Point
Jordan Point, Virginia
Jordan Point is a small unincorporated community on the south bank of the James River in the northern portion of Prince George County, Virginia, United States.- Early history :...
on the James River
James River (Virginia)
The James River is a river in the U.S. state of Virginia. It is long, extending to if one includes the Jackson River, the longer of its two source tributaries. The James River drains a catchment comprising . The watershed includes about 4% open water and an area with a population of 2.5 million...
in Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
, near the south end of the present Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge
Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge
The Benjamin Harrison Memorial Bridge is a vertical-lift bridge that spans the James River between Jordan's Point in Prince George County and Charles City County near Hopewell, Virginia. The bridge carries vehicle traffic of State Route 156, and is owned by the Virginia Department of Transportation...
.
History
The history of this station is confused at points, but it appears that a light was first constructed on the point in 1855. This consisted of a keeper's house with a masthead light on the roof. Erosion at the point threatened this building, and it was torn down in 1875 (or possibly 1870) and replaced with a pyramidal wooden tower. A new, separate, keeper's house was built in 1888.Erosion continued to eat away at the projecting point, and in 1927 the whole station was abandoned. In 1941 a new skeleton tower was erected at the site of the old tower; the skeleton tower is in service as the rear light of the Jordan Point Range, Light List #2-12420.