Bowlers Rock Light

Bowlers Rock Light served navigation on the Rappahannock River in Virginia from 1835, first as a lightship station and later as a permanent lighthouse. Its history reflected both the Civil War and the river’s difficult conditions. Confederate raiders destroyed the first lightship in 1861, and another served until a screw-pile lighthouse replaced it in 1868. Built on six piles to better resist ice, the structure still suffered serious damage and was considered unlikely to endure by 1895. It was destroyed in 1918, the station was deactivated in 1920, and an automated caisson light installed in 1921 continued its navigational function.

Virginia · United States