Fox Hill

Fox Hill. Back River Lighthouse. The Back River Lighthouse was a familiar Fox Hill landmark for more than a century, guiding boats around dangerous shoals at Grandview and into the entrance of the York and Back rivers. The lighthouse was built in 1829 on four acres of land the government purchased from Preston and Margaret Watson for $100. Winning bidder Winslow Lewis built a 30-foot-high conical brick tower, with an elevated footbridge over the marsh to connect to the keeper's house. In 1855, a new revolving lamp with 21 parabolic reflectors was installed. The light was automated in 1915 and then deactivated in 1936 and left to the mercy of the elements. The final blow was delivered by Hurricane Flossy in 1956, leaving only a pile of stones to mark the remains., Legend has it that when Christopher Newport and his crew explored the lower bay, they stopped on a nearby shore and exclaimed about the grand view it offered. Whether true or not, later arrivals to these shores marveled at the vistas offered by Fox Hill's northeast corner, Grandview, and danced the night away on its shores., The Grandview Hotel, built in about 1890, was the centerpiece of a popular resort. By 1920, the area included a bath house, dance pavilion and amusement park. The buildings were wiped out by the 1933 hurricane, but new dance pavilions followed, the last of these in 1948 north of the present fishing pier near Beach Road. Famous big bands like those of Benny Goodman and Tommy Dorsey held forth at the pavilion until Hurricane Hazel arrived in 1954 and demolished all but memories of this grand place. Today there are more than 475 acres of salt marsh, tidal creeks and unspoiled beach that grace Grandview Nature Preserve., (captions) , Lighthouse Keeper's Cottage and Back River Lighthouse All images courtesy of Fox Hill Historical Society, The Grandview Hotel in 1890 by Mr. Charles F. Elliott, Back River Lighthouse