Lighthouses along the York River guided shipping from West Point to the Chesapeake Bay until they were replaced with automated lights.

Lost River Lights

Many people are familiar with the iconic lighthouses towering over beaches overlooking the Atlantic such as Cape Henry in Virginia Beach. The Thimble Shoals Light and other "Spark-plug" structures pointed out the deep channels of the Chesapeake Bay and the larger rivers. Yet, even the smaller tributaries had manned lighthouses to keep ships away from shallow shoals and into the safety of deep water. The river bottoms were too muddy for large, heavy structures. Concrete and rock pilings were set and metal "legs" were screwed into them to make a foundation for the house and light. "Screw-pile" lighthouses were common throughout Maryland and Virginia waters including the York River.

Tue Marshes & York Spit

The south side of the mouth of the York is dominated by the Godwin Island. A light was needed to mark a major drop-off from the marsh channels that were a few feet deep to about 50 feet. The Tue Marshes Lighthouse was built in 1875 to meet the needs of shipping headed into the river from the York Spit Lighthouse located further eastward at the edge of the Chesapeake. Yorktown was a deep water port during the colonial period and is still home to a major weapons station for the US Navy. Due to improved technology, both houses were dismantled and replaced with automated lights in 1960.

Bells & Pages Rock

The two lighthouses above Yorktown are on the north side of the river and were built to meet the needs of the Richmond & York River Railroad. Bells Rock was the first of the two built in 1881 two miles down river from the train terminus at West Point. Pages was built in 1894 off of Blundering Point, not far from Machicomico State Park. Both lighthouses were built near main channel drop-offs of about 30 feet deep. With the railroad company going bankrupt at the turn of the century, they would become expendable. Bells Rock was dismantled and replaced with an automated beacon in 1928.  Pages would continue as a manned lighthouse until 1960.

Local Lighthouse Keepers

Claudius F. Sutton was a well awarded Keeper at Pages Rock where he served for 29 years, 1902-1931.  A North Carolinian by birth, married a woman from Gloucester and moved the family to Williamsburg. Part of his duties was to maintain kerosene fueled beacons at West Point and Yorktown weekly. He passed a year after retirement and is buried at the Cedar Grove Cemetery in town.  

Despite this being the segregation era, African Americans were given opportunities to serve in lighthouses and did so with distinction. James W. Washington served as an assistant keeper at York Spit before being promoted to the Keeper at Bells Rock. He held the position for 30 years, 1891-1921. Joshua Taliaferro kept the light, perhaps, until it was replaced a few years later. After leaving the service, he became a waterman and was a pillar of the Hockley/Plain View community until his death in 1992 at the age of 106.

Remembering the Past

York River State Park will honor local maritime history with the Lost Lighthouse Kayak Tours this summer. The inaugural event took place June 14, 2025, with a paddle on open water to the Croaker Landing section of the park and back. While there, we found the lost lighthouses and other points of interest on the nautical map near the boat ramp. Be sure to check our events page for other dates where we will explore this unique part of our history and culture.