Back River Light
Encyclopedia
The Back River Light was a lighthouse
south of the mouth of the Back River
on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay
, several miles north of Fort Monroe
near Hampton, Virginia
. Plagued by erosion for most of its existence, it was destroyed in 1956 by Hurricane Flossy.
The light was damaged by Confederate raiders in 1862, but was back in action the following year. But the remainder of the century saw a continuing battle against erosion, and riprap
was laid around the base of the tower several times between 1868 and 1888. In 1894 a second story was added to the keeper's house, but this served only until 1914, when the house was demolished, with the light being automated the following year. It was discontinued in 1936; twenty years later, the tower was destroyed by Hurricane Flossy, leaving only a pile of rubble to mark the spot.
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....
south of the mouth of the Back River
Back River (Virginia)
The Back River is an estuarine inlet of the Chesapeake Bay between the independent cities of Hampton and Poquoson in the Hampton Roads area of southeastern Virginia. Formed by the confluence of the Northwest and Southwest Branches, and at just over two miles long, the Back River is a breeding...
on the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
, several miles north of Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe
Fort Monroe was a military installation in Hampton, Virginia—at Old Point Comfort, the southern tip of the Virginia Peninsula...
near Hampton, Virginia
Hampton, Virginia
Hampton is an independent city that is not part of any county in Southeast Virginia. Its population is 137,436. As one of the seven major cities that compose the Hampton Roads metropolitan area, it is on the southeastern end of the Virginia Peninsula. Located on the Hampton Roads Beltway, it hosts...
. Plagued by erosion for most of its existence, it was destroyed in 1956 by Hurricane Flossy.
History
This light was constructed in 1829, a conical masonry tower similar to others further up the bay. A hint of its coming travails was given by the need for a 144 feet (43.9 m) long footbridge to carry the keeper over the marshy land between the tower and his house.The light was damaged by Confederate raiders in 1862, but was back in action the following year. But the remainder of the century saw a continuing battle against erosion, and riprap
Riprap
Riprap — also known as rip rap, rubble, shot rock or rock armour or "Rip-rap" — is rock or other material used to armor shorelines, streambeds, bridge abutments, pilings and other shoreline structures against scour, water or ice erosion.It is made from a variety of rock types, commonly granite or...
was laid around the base of the tower several times between 1868 and 1888. In 1894 a second story was added to the keeper's house, but this served only until 1914, when the house was demolished, with the light being automated the following year. It was discontinued in 1936; twenty years later, the tower was destroyed by Hurricane Flossy, leaving only a pile of rubble to mark the spot.