This design was used for all three James River screwpile lighthouses.

Deep Water Shoal, Point of Shoals and White Shoal lighthouses all had the same design when constructed in 1855. They were just 20 feet square and fitted with steamship lenses initially.

The same plan was used for all three James River screwpile lighthouses.

Note how small the frame was, just 20 feet square. By 1871, all three James River screwpile lighthouses were upgraded to a larger design.

White shoal, Deep Water Shoal, Point of Shoals all were built with this same design.

This was the plan used for the lighthouse that replaced the destroyed (by ice floes) Deep Water Shoal light in 1868.

This design was used for all three James River screwpiles. The design proved to be inadequate and new foundations with a more robust design replaced the original foundations by 1871.

Note the more robust design compared to the original 1853 foundation with the addition of up and downstream ice breakers.

These are the proposed 1853 designs for all three lighthouses.

These were plans for iron work additions to the Deep Water Shoal lighthouse foundation.

These are the final 1854 designs for all three lighthouses. Note how light the pieces are, The design was not robust enough to withstand ice floes.

This plan shows the much stronger foundation to replace the 1855 design. The new foundation had 16” diameter iron sleeves and 3 foot diameter screws.

Both foundations remain in the river as of 2020.

This was a day beacon, also known as a dumb beacon. There is no light, just this tall iron marker for the shoal at Days Point.

These are the details for lanterns used on First Class Lightships.

Half section and half elevation plan for the Cape Hatteras First Order lantern.

This is the second Cape Hatteras lighthouse built in 1870 at a total height of 210 feet. The focal plane was 187 feet and the first order lens had a range of 24 nautical miles.

This was the initial 1853 plan.

This was the final 1854 Elevation and floor plan.

This design combined the fog bell and lantern into one tower.

This is the August 1875 rebuild of the keeper’s dwelling. The lantern was removed from the roof and a new one placed on the adjacent lantern and fog bell tower.

This was the new keeper’s dwelling to replace the 1855 building that was threatened by erosion and in bad repair.

This site is on the James River now at the south end of the Benjamin Harrison Bridge. There remains an automated light on a steel tower at that location.

This plan shows calculations made for the pressures of wind, tide and ice floes against the proposed Middle Ground Light Caisson structure.

This is the lighthouse that currently stands at Cape Charles. This was the third lighthouse built at Cape Charles.

Section and Elevation plan.

A replica of this lighthouse is located at Manteo, NC.

Note the foundation with wood pilings topped with iron sleeves.

Section and elevation plan, March 1855

This caisson design replaced the screwpile lighthouse that was destroyed by ice floes in 1893.

Elevation and section plans 1873.