The Tinicum Island Rear Range Light is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

located in the Billingsport section of

Paulsboro Paulsboro is a borough situated on the banks of the Delaware River in Gloucester County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey, within the Philadelphia metropolitan area. As of the 2020 United States census, the borough's population was 6,196, an in ...

Gloucester County, New Jersey Gloucester County ( ) is a County (United States), county in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the county was the state's List of counties in New Jersey, 14th-most populous county

, the rear of a pair of

range lights Leading lights, also known as range lights in the United States, are a pair of light beacons used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; they may also be used for position fixing. At night ...

marking a section of the channel in the

Delaware River The Delaware River is a major river in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and is the longest free-flowing (undammed) river in the Eastern United States. From the meeting of its branches in Hancock, New York, the river flows for a ...

south of

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

. The lighthouse is surrounded by baseball fields next to the new marine terminal for the Port of Paulsboro and is still active for navigation on the Delaware River. It works in conjunction with the Tinicum Front Range Light, known as the Billingsport Front Light, situated on the banks of the

at the front of Fort Billings Park next to the Paulsboro Refinery. Front and rear range lighthouses guide sailors who, by aligning the two lights and keeping one light on top of the other, stay in its center and avoid Little Tinicum Island as they travel upstream. The Tinicum Island Range Lights were activated on New Year's Eve 1880. They had a visible range of . The lights were changed from oil to electric in 1917. The Coast Guard automated the lights in 1933. The light tower originally had a keeper's dwelling with seven rooms, along with a brick oil house, frame barn and barnyard, cow shed, poultry house, and privy on of land. The dwelling buildings were demolished sometime in the 1950s after they fell into disrepair. The rear range lighthouse, which is owned by the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and Admiralty law, law enforcement military branch, service branch of the armed forces of the United States. It is one of the country's eight Uniformed services ...

, was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

on September 15, 2005. Tinicum Rear Range Lighthouse Society offers regular tours, including a climb to the top of the tower, the third full weekend of each month from April through October and special tours with advance notice. Surrounding views from the lighthouse include

and its

airport An airport is an aerodrome with extended facilities, mostly for commercial Aviation, air transport. They usually consist of a landing area, which comprises an aerially accessible open space including at least one operationally active surf ...

References

External links

* * * * {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1880 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in New Jersey National Register of Historic Places in Gloucester County, New Jersey New Jersey Register of Historic Places Neoclassical architecture in New Jersey Paulsboro, New Jersey Transportation buildings and structures in Gloucester County, New Jersey

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