Assateague Light
Encyclopedia
Assateague Light is the 142 feet (43.3 m) lighthouse
located on the southern end of Assateague Island off the coast of the Virginia
Eastern Shore
, USA.
The lighthouse is located within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
and can be accessed by road from Chincoteague Island
over the Assateague Channel
.
Constructed in 1867 to replace a shorter light house built in the early 1830s, the light house is conical
in shape and is painted in alternating bands of red and white. It was built with a first-order Fresnel lens
which has since been replaced with an electronically powered beacon
. The grounds also contain a keeper's house and oil house.
The lighthouse is depicted on the 2003–2004 Federal Duck Stamp
, designed by Ron Louque.
The light is open for public tours on weekends during the summer.
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 the southern end of Assateague Island off the coast of the 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...
Eastern Shore
Eastern Shore of Virginia
The Eastern Shore of Virginia consists of two counties on the Atlantic coast of the Commonwealth of Virginia in the United States. The region is part of the Delmarva Peninsula and is separated from the rest of Virginia by the Chesapeake Bay. Its population was 45,553 as of 2010...
, USA.
The lighthouse is located within the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge
The Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is a wildlife preserve operated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. It is primarily located on the Virginia side of Assateague Island with portions located on the Maryland side of the island as well as Morris Island and Wildcat Marsh...
and can be accessed by road from Chincoteague Island
Chincoteague, Virginia
Chincoteague is a town on Chincoteague Island in Accomack County, Virginia, United States. The population was 4,317 at the 2000 census. The town is perhaps best known for the Chincoteague Ponies, although these are not actually on the island of Chincoteague but on nearby Assateague Island...
over the Assateague Channel
Assateague Channel
Assateague Channel is a channel on the Eastern Shore of Virginia between Chincoteague Island and Assateague Island. The Assateague Channel connects to Assateague Bay to the northeast and Chincoteague Inlet to the southwest.-Annual Pony Swim:...
.
Constructed in 1867 to replace a shorter light house built in the early 1830s, the light house is conical
Cone (geometry)
A cone is an n-dimensional geometric shape that tapers smoothly from a base to a point called the apex or vertex. Formally, it is the solid figure formed by the locus of all straight line segments that join the apex to the base...
in shape and is painted in alternating bands of red and white. It was built with a first-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
which has since been replaced with an electronically powered beacon
Beacon
A beacon is an intentionally conspicuous device designed to attract attention to a specific location.Beacons can also be combined with semaphoric or other indicators to provide important information, such as the status of an airport, by the colour and rotational pattern of its airport beacon, or of...
. The grounds also contain a keeper's house and oil house.
The lighthouse is depicted on the 2003–2004 Federal Duck Stamp
Federal Duck Stamp
The federal duck stamp was created through a wetlands conservation program. President Herbert Hoover signed the Migratory Bird Conservation Act in 1929 to authorize the acquisition and preservation of wetlands as waterfowl habitat....
, designed by Ron Louque.
The light is open for public tours on weekends during the summer.