This historic lighthouse got its unusual name from the 14-feet of water that cover the dangerous shoal beneath.  Serving maritime traffic between New Jersey and Delaware, Delaware Bay is infamous for its treacherous shipping channel, and this particular shoal is nearly 6,000 feet long and 1,300 wide.  It is not surprising that many fateful ships lie under the sea surrounding this dangerous platform.

From 1876 to 1886, the shoal was monitored by lightship LV 19.  However, the ice floe meant that the lightship had to be moved to safer waters during winter months – at a time when it was most needed.  In the early 1880s, the Lighthouse Board decided to erect a lighthouse at the site.  Many plans were submitted and rejected, until the Board’s chief engineer proposed a lighthouse plan that he believed to be both feasible and safe – though revolutionary in its time.

The engineer proposed construction of a complex caisson structure that would be 73-feet high and 35-feet in diameter.  Employing ingenuity and determination, the team constructed a wooden caisson on which the iron caisson would be placed, and then submerged in its permanent location offshore. 

Eight men, working around the clock in eight-hour shifts, removed about two inches of bottom an hour during the sinking operation.  At the same time, another team was dumping more than 6,000 tons of rip-rap around the base of the caisson to protect it from strong current and ice floe.  Just one month after digging and concreting had begun; the required depth of 33 feet into the bottom of the bay was completed.

Thus, Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse became America’s first caisson lighthouse structure - also known as a submarine type lighthouse.  Atop this cylindrical structure, contractors built a Victorian-style two-and-a-half story gabled keepers’ quarters topped with an integrated light room flanked by an iron railing.  A Fourth Order Fresnel Lens was installed and first lighted on December 1, 1886, thus ending the reign of Lightship LV 19.

Automated in 1972, the original structure is a familiar sight in the Bay and while it is not open to the public, Fourteen Foot Bank Lighthouse remains a symbol of our nautical heritage along one of America’s most vital shipping lanes.   Its beacon still guides mariners safely through the unseen shoals lurking just 14-feet below.

Harbour Lights is proud to honor this historic lighthouse as our 2005 Exclusive In Store Event sculpture.  Enjoy this beautiful tribute to lighthouse legacy and recall its lasting role in maritime heritage.

* Available though dealers with in-store events anytime in 2005