Virginia Department of Historic Resources Virginia Department of Historic Resources
For additional information, read the Nomination Form PDF
VLR Listing Date 09/10/2003
NRHP Listing Date 12/02/2002
NRHP Reference Number 02001434
The Wolf Trap Light Station is listed under the National Register Multiple Property Documentation Form for Light Stations in the United States. It consists of a wooden caisson that supports a cast-iron foundation cylinder and an octagonal two-story brick dwelling with a one-story square tower in turn supporting a cast-iron lantern. Wolf Trap and Smith Point light stations used the same plans and are each integral with all functions combined in one building. Only 11 pneumatic caisson lighthouses were built in the United States including Wolf Trap and Smith Point. Wolf Trap stands in about 16 feet of water on the east end of Wolf Trap Spit, on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay between the York and Rappahannock Rivers.
Many properties listed in the registers are private dwellings and are not open to the public, however many are visible from the public right-of-way. Please be respectful of owner privacy.
Abbreviations:
VLR: Virginia Landmarks Register
NPS: National Park Service
NRHP: National Register of Historic Places
NHL: National Historic Landmark
Updated: October 4, 2021
