I’m a sucker for lighthouses! Growing up, I took road trips with my family up to Northern Maine where we stopped at several lighthouses along the way. That being said, I fall in love with lighthouses over and over again. So, when I was visiting my Dad and Step-Mother in Delaware, I knew I had to stop and visit the local Fenwick Island Lighthouse. And, let me tell y’all, it was my most bizarre lighthouse experience yet!
It was a rainy Saturday when my family and I decided to drive around the nearby area of Ocean City, Maryland and the surrounding beaches and towns. We even stopped in the cutest little town of Berlin, Maryland and browsed the many adorable antique shops. On the way there, we decided to stop at the Fenwick Island Lighthouse. My Dad and Step-Mother heard me talk about my interest in visiting, despite them not even knowing it existed just miles from their house! So, I routed us on my iPhone Google Maps to Fenwick Island Lighthouse. As we approach it and are about 500 feet away, we are extremely weirded out that we are in the middle of a neighborhood community with NO lighthouse in sight. We continue to drive according to the route that Google Maps is taking us, and we see the lighthouse and it is in *DRUM ROLL PLEASE* the middle of a neighborhood on a private residential street!
Yes, you heard me right, the Fenwick Island Lighthouse is situated in a residential community over looking the sound. We, then, figure out that parking is just a block away and we awkwardly pull up in the middle of the rain to the mini visitor area. We snap a few photos before it starts to downpour and then we leave.
As we left, my family and I speculated as to why the lighthouse is located where it is. WELL, it turns out that the Fenwick Island Lighthouse was built in the 1800’s and was put to rest from its lighthouse duties in the 1940’s. Hence, the neighborhood community surrounding it today. Decades later, the state of Delaware took ownership of it and the community and its visitors donate to keep its legacy living.
While such a bizarre experience to visit a lighthouse that barely looks over the water, it is neat to see how far it has come along since. Til next time, Fenwick Island Lighthouse!
XOXO – Katie <3