Bells Rock Lighthouse

Bells Rock Lighthouse. . , . In the late 1800s, West Point, Virginia, became a major terminal for the York River and Richmond Railroad. The lighthouse was built in 1881 in the York River near the fork of the Pamunkey and Mattaponi Rivers to assist ships sailing to West Point. , , . The lighthouse was a white hexagonal cottage supported by 7 piles in ten feet of water, with a brown roof. The first level consisted of a sitting room, kitchen, and 2 bedrooms. The second level consisted of another bedroom, and storage. A privy was cantilevered off the main deck. It was equipped with a fourth-order Fresnel lens exhibiting a fixed white light and red sector. , , . Over the 47 years, there were only four lighthouse keepers stationed at the lighthouse. The average pay for keepers was $650 per year. , , . Fresnel lenses are made up of hundreds of glass prisms that resemble a big glass beehive and are divided into 7 classes, or "orders". First-order lights, used in larger bodies of water, were approximately 8.5-feet tall and weighed 12,800 pounds. Fourth, fifth and sixth-order lens was mainly used in smaller rivers, ranging from 17 to 28 inches tall, weighing 220 to 661 pounds. , , (timeline) , 1879 The U.S. Lighthouse Board recommends building a lighthouse at Bells Rock, in the York River , 1880 Congress appropriates $35,000 to construct a screwpile lighthouse at Bells Rock , 1880 Construction of the wood cottage is completed at Lazaretto Depot in November, but instead, is used to rebuild the Thimble Shoal Light, which burned down in October , 1881 The new cottage is completed at Lazaretto Depot in February, and towed to the site - the lighthouse is completed, and the light is first exhibited on May 30th , 1883 A new support column is installed to replace a broken column - new tanks are also installed , 1884 A schooner hits the foundation of the lighthouse in June, breaking three support columns - they are replaced a few weeks later , 1892 A red sector is installed into the fixed white light on March 10th , 1899 New model fourth order lamps are installed , 1900 A storage platform is built under the lighthouse , 1928 The lighthouse is dismantled and removed , An automatic light is mounted on a skeletal tower that is mounted to the remaining screwpile foundation , 2021 The light remains an active aid to navigation , Designed by CC-USLHS Historian Jennifer C. Jones , Historical placard placed in 2021 by the Watermen's Museum, www.watermens.org and the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society, www.cheslights.org, (captions) , Bells Rock Lighthouse , 1901 U.S. Coast Guard Photo , Fourth Order Fresnel Lens Photo Courtesy Jennifer Jones , First Floor Plan and Exterior Elevation Courtesy Calvert Marine Museum , Ruby glass panels used to create the red sector Photo Courtesy Greg Krawczyk