Jones Point Lighthouse

Year Built

1856

Cost

$5,000

Type

Conical lantern on square house

Height

28 feet

Location

Alexandria

Automated Year

1919

First Lit

1856

Lens Type

Fifth order Fresnel lens

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

1926-1995

Color

White 1.5 story wood Keeper’s house with black lantern

Last Keeper - Date

Paul Simpson (1919 – )

Description

The grounds are open to the public, but not the lighthouse.

Brief History

•  Whale oil lamps were originally used to power the beacon at Jones Point, but in 1858 the Lighthouse Board allowed an Alexandria gas company to extend lines to the station.
•  1934 the light on the skeletal steel tower was converted to electric power and automated.
•  1936 the Army Signal Corps owned the land surrounding the light until after WWII when it was returned to the Daughters of the American Revolution.
•  1962 the light was discontinued since the new Woodrow Wilson Bridge opened and provided a better source of light for navigation.
•  1986 an agreement was signed with the Park Service to restore the lighthouse as a museum.