Jones Point Light

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Jones Point Light

Location: Alexandria, Virginia
Coordinates
WGS-84 (GPS)
38°47′25.4″N, 77°02′26.3″W
Foundation: Natural / Emplaced
Construction: Wood
Year first lit: 1856
Deactivated: 1926-1995
Automated: 1919
Tower shape: Conical lantern on square house
Original lens: Fifth order Fresnel lens

The Jones Point Light is a small river lighthouse located on the Potomac River in Alexandria, Virginia. Built in 1855, it is the oldest surviving inland lighthouse in the United States. It is a small, one-story house with a lantern on top. The lighthouse was discontinued in 1926, replaced by a small steel skeletal tower located nearby; this smaller tower was in use for ten years before being discontinued. After being dark for more than half a century, Jones Point Light was relit by a private concern in 1995.

The lighthouse is located on Jones Point in Alexandria, and is part of Jones Point Park. Visitors can approach the lighthouse, but it is currently impossible to enter the building.

In 1980, it was listed in the National Register of Historic Places along with the District of Columbia South Cornerstone as reference #80000352. It is also listed in the Library of Congress Historic American Buildings Survey as survey number VA-641. The listing shows lighthouse drawings and several black and white photos of the lighthouse prior to restoration.

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