A skeletal tower piercing the Philadelphia skyline. That’s the Eagle Point Range Rear Light. Or rather what remains of it.
Eagle Point Range Rear Light isn’t your typical postcard-perfect lighthouse. It stands as a testament to a bygone era of river navigation in Philadelphia. Once a proud 74-foot white pyramidal tower its story is one of change and adaptation. It was part of the Horseshoe Range West Group a unique arrangement of lights guiding ships through the Delaware River’s shipping channel.
The original Eagle Point Range Rear Light was built in 1881. A fourth order Fresnel lens shone a steady white light. A lightkeeper lived nearby in a cozy six-room house. He had quite the commute though. The lightkeeper walked a 1600-foot elevated walkway to tend to one front range light then another 208 feet further to the other before returning home. Imagine that daily routine.
But times changed. In 1920 the original tower was deemed too costly to maintain and it was destroyed. Replaced by the skeletal tower we see today. The original light’s optics were also updated to improve their range and visibility. The upper front light was also removed in 1931. The range’s name shifted to the more modern Eagle Point Range.
Even in its skeletal form the Eagle Point Range Rear Light continues its silent watch over the Delaware River. It’s a reminder that even in progress history remains. A symbol of Philadelphia’s rich maritime heritage a heritage that once relied on these guiding lights for safe passage. This unassuming structure whispers tales of lightkeepers past a legacy of dependable navigation. This legacy continues to this day through the U S Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Team in Philadelphia. Though the lighthouses are gone the tradition of guiding lights continues.