The Fenwick Island Lighthouse is located on the southernmost border between Maryland and Delaware, and also between the towns of Ocean City and Fenwick Island.
Free street parking for the 87-foot lighthouse is located in a quiet neighborhood on 146th Street in Ocean City, Maryland; however, once you enter the lighthouse grounds, you are officially in Delaware.
There are volunteers available to give talks about the history of the structure and future of the lighthouse. You may enter the ground floor of the lighthouse, which is filled with educational materials and models, though there is no public access to the top of the tower.
Before this stretch of land was the popular vacation spot it is now, it was once an almost empty barrier island, typical of the Mid-Atlantic region. The lighthouse was built here in 1856 after there were large numbers of shipwrecks off the coast. It cost about $25,000 to build at the time, and it was outfitted with a Fresnel Lens, which was designed to focus the beam of light with greater ease than its predecessors. The government switched to an automated light system in the late 1940s.
The Fenwick Island Lighthouse is free, but donations are welcome.
It's open to the public most weekends from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., though it is advised to check their website first.
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