East End Light replaced Cape Henlopen Beacon
A wooden tower stood on the east end of the inner breakwater in Lewes prior to the construction of the red lighthouse we know today. A lighthouse was commissioned in 1884 to replace the Cape Henlopen Beacon, not to be confused with the Cape Henlopen Lighthouse, which stood a little farther south in today’s Cape Henlopen State Park.
After the wooden tower was established, work began on the cast-iron lighthouse. Construction lasted just six months. The lighthouse was manned from 1885 until 1950. Typically, three men were assigned with the light, with at least two working at all times.
The East End Light became the front-range light in 1903, working with the Green Hill Light in Lewes as the rear-range signal. Prior to that, the Strickland Lighthouse, located farther west on the breakwater, served as the front-range light.
The East End Light was officially discontinued in 1996, though it remains an iconic fixture on the Lewes landscape.
