Cape Henlopen Beacon battled Mother Nature

The Cape Henlopen Beacon is not the infamous Cape Henlopen Lighthouse. The beacon was located just a little farther north on the Point of Cape Henlopen. Due to the constantly shifting sands of the cape, Congress authorized a new lighthouse in 1824 for $3,000. It stood 45 feet tall and was made of stone. It sat about three-quarters of a mile north of its more famous predecessor. Initially, a lighthouse keeper managed both structures, but a keeper’s house was finally built in 1854. According to the book “Guiding Lights of the Delaware River & Bay,” Cape Henlopen Lighthouse keeper John Ware trekked to the beach twice a day. For these extra duties, he earned $250 on top of his $400 annual salary.

Around 1864, shifting sands struck again. With the cape growing another 1,200 feet north, the original beacon was dismantled and a new one was built farther north for $17,500. Some of the materials from the first beacon were used to protect the site of the new structure. The remainder was sold at public auction. This iteration did not last long either, as Mother Nature took its toll on the beaches around the lighthouse, forcing its closure in 1884. It was replaced by the East End Light, which has stood on the Delaware Breakwater since it was completed in just six months in 1885.