For the light in Detroit see Windmill Point Light (Michigan).

For the light on Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain

Lake Champlain is a natural, freshwater lake in North America, located mainly within the borders of the United States but partially situated across the Canada—United States border in the Canadian province of Quebec.The New York portion of the Champlain Valley includes the eastern portions of...

 see Windmill Point Light (Vermont)

Windmill Point Light (Vermont)

The Windmill Point Light in Vermont is the northernmost lighthouse on Lake Champlain. Extinguished for seventy years, it was reactivated in 2002 to replace the skeleton tower erected next to it.-History:...

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The Windmill Point Light was a lighthouse

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 at the mouth of 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...

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History

This light was erected in 1869 to replace the last of three lightships stationed at this location to mark the end of the Rappahannock Spit, a shoal extending east from Windmill Point itself. These lightships were stationed beginning in 1839, the first being seized by the Confederates in the Civil War

American Civil War

The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...

. As was typical of such an exposed location, ice was a serious threat, and the light was badly damaged in the winter of 1917-1918, with repairs not completed until 1921.

Automation came in 1954, and the house was removed in favor of a skeleton tower in 1965. As with the nearby Stingray Point Light

Stingray Point Light

The Stingray Point Light was a lighthouse located at the mouth of the Rappahannock River.-History:Stingray Point took its name from an incident in which John Smith was stung by a stingray while fishing nearby. The light was built in 1858 to mark the entrance to the Deltaville harbor, just west of...

, a private party, one Dr. William Atwood, purchased portions of the house in hopes of reassembling it on shore. As with the other light, however, Dr. Atwood was unable to complete his plan. The tower and original foundation remain in service.

As of the 2007-2008 winter, the old girder works of the original lighthouse were removed and replaced by a single concrete filled caisson with superstructure tower and light and placards. Note the rip rap of the original light surrounds the new structure, which is right at sea level and sometimes not visible. Do not approach this lighthouse closer than 100 foot radius. Sunday May 25, 2008 a sailboat went aground on these rocks and required USCG and Sea Tow assistance to be towed off the rocks.