Jones Point

Title

Jones Point

Artist

Mark Stephens

Medium

Digital Art - Photo

Description

Jones Point is on the southern edge of Alexandria. At the base of the lighthouse is the cornerstone of the southern point of the District of Columbia. It was a critical piece of the city of Alexandria's history as one of the largest centers for shipping, manufacturing, and transportation in the nation. Its lighthouse, built in 1855, is the last remaining riverine lighthouse in Virginia.
The lighthouse operated from 1856-1926. It was designed as a navigational aid to help ships avoid shifting underwater shoals on the Potomac River and to support the growing maritime economies of Alexandria, Virginia and Washington, D.C. It had a fifth order Fresnel lens, the most advanced lens technology available in the 1800s, and produced a light beam which could be seen nine miles away. It was very useful to the hundreds of merchant, passenger, fishing, and naval vessels that traveled the Potomac each day.
In 1918 a massive shipyard was constructed at Jones Point to build ships for WWI. The shipyard obscured the lighthouse's beacon light, making it less useful as a navigational aid.
The lighthouse was deeded to the Mount Vernon Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). They maintained the structure as a museum until 1936 when the Army Signal Corps built a classified communication facility on the former shipyard and closed it to the public. In 1953 the Army reopened Jones Point to public entry, but significant damage to the lighthouse from weather, tides, and vandalism had occurred. Soldiers had even used the building for target practice during WWII.
Merchant vessels were built in the Virginia Shipbuilding Corporation's new shipyard at Jones Point. This facility launched the first all steel ships built in Alexandria.
Lacking money to repair the lighthouse, the DAR worked with the National Park Service to establish a park on the site and restore the lighthouse. In 1964 Jones Point Park opened.

Uploaded

March 12th, 2016

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