{"nrhp_refnum":"02001438","name":"Newport News Middle Ground Light Station","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Approx. 2 mi. SSE of Newport News","address_restricted":false,"city":"Newport News (Independent City)","county":"Newport News","state":"VA","lat":36.945139993000055,"lon":-76.39146246699994,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-12-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Maritime History","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A cast-iron caisson lighthouse standing in about 15 feet of water on the west end of Newport News Middle Ground shoal in Hampton Roads, Virginia. It was completed and first lit in 1891 and is reached only by boat.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it is tied to federal efforts to build an integrated system of navigational aids for safe shipping in the Chesapeake Bay. It also embodies a distinctive caisson method of lighthouse construction typical of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It is the oldest caisson lighthouse in Virginia waters.","narrative":"Rising from about 15 feet of water in Hampton Roads, this red cast-iron lighthouse was first lit on April 15, 1891, to guide vessels leaving the Newport News docks around the Middle Ground shoal. Its foundation is a wooden caisson topped by a 56-foot cast-iron cylinder filled with concrete. Above it sits a three-story conical tower and dwelling, a round watch room and a black octagonal lantern. Lighthouses of this shape are often called spark plugs. Congress appropriated $50,000 in 1888 for the work, and about 1,000 tons of riprap stone were placed around it to guard against current scour. The light was automated in 1954, struck by a ship in 1979, and later fitted with solar power. It is listed for its role in Chesapeake Bay maritime transportation and as the oldest caisson lighthouse in Virginia waters, a design similar to Maryland's Hooper Island Lighthouse. It still serves as an aid to navigation.","period_of_significance":"1891-1954","architect_builder":"U.S. Lighthouse Board","architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Owned and managed by the U.S. Coast Guard; the light remains an active aid to navigation, automated in 1954 and powered by solar panels since 1986/87. A 1994 inspection found it in fair overall condition with some structural defects.","vacant_flag":null,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:51:59.691648-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_AK/02001438.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001438/9b376349ae-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001438/9b376349ae-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY 2.0","author":"darlingtrk","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newport_News_Middle_Ground_Lighthouse_(37977113115).jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">darlingtrk</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY 2.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Newport_News_Middle_Ground_Lighthouse_(37977113115).jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75325133","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newport_News_Middle_Ground_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7018936"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/newport-news/newport-news-middle-ground-light-station-02001438/"}