Hendricks Head Light

Year Built

1829

Cost

$2,662

Type

Square Brick Tower

Height

39 feet

Location

Southport

Automated Year

1975

First Lit

1875

Lens Type

Fifth order Fresnel Lens

Fog Signal

Bell originally, now none

Year Deactivated

1933-1951

Color

White

Last Keeper - Date

Charles L. Knight (1930 – 1933)

Description

A rectangular stone dwelling with a wooden octagonal tower protruding from one end of its pitched roof.

Brief History

•  John Upham first lit the tower’s eight lamps, which were set in fourteen-inch reflectors, on December 1, 1829.
•  A fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed at Hendricks Head in 1857, changing the light from fixed to a white flash every sixty seconds.
•  Jaruel Marr was appointed keeper of Hendricks Head Lighthouse in 1866 to compensate him in part for injuries he sustained while fighting in the Civil War.
•  Keeper Jaruel Marr and his family moved into the new keeper’s dwelling on September 30, 1875 and were thrilled with their new cook stove. All three of the Marr’s sons that reached adulthood followed in their father’s footsteps as lightkeepers.
•  After being discontinued, the lighthouse and surrounding land was sold to Dr. William P. Browne of Connecticut in 1935 for $4,100.