Conversation: Jones Point Lighthouse
Ashley E. Smith, Autumn 2023.
Path that leads to Jones Point Lighthouse, adorned with historical geographical markers. Ashley E. Smith, Summer 2022.
Ashley E. Smith, Winter 2024.
Ashley E. Smith, Summer 2022.
5th Order Fresnel Lens from Jones Point Lighthouse. Now located in the Lyceum Museum, Alexandria, Virginia.
Ashley E. Smith, Early Autumn 2022.
This buoy shed/outhouse could also have been the site for Keeper Greenwood’s whiskey (distilled in Virginia) and rye (distilled in Maryland) neighborhood poker nights.
There was also a point in time when the beacon was changed to a red light instead of a white light. Jones Point was rumored to turn into the neighborhood “red light district” with gambling barges and floating brothels tied off near the lighthouse. (The Historical Marker).
Ashley E. Smith, Summer 2024.
Deterioration of steps and vadalized door, covered by plywood. 2022.
Cellar door in disrepair. Ashley E. Smith, 2022
Historic Structures
Ashley E. Smith, Winter 20201
May 2023
Tucked away down a short wooded path underneath Woodrow Wilson Bridge in Alexandria, Virginia, walkers pleasantly stumble upon Jones Point Lighthouse. A white lighthouse with blue shutters, a real porch, and a stairs stoop, Jones Point was one of the first lighthouses designed with a unified plan that combined the beacon and the keeper’s house into a single structure (The Jones Point Lighthouse Historical Marker). Atop the little two-story house sits a 5th-order Fresnel lens that was first lit on May 3rd, 1856 (Chesapeake Chapter U.S.L.H.S.). While no longer operational and in obvious disrepair, The National Park Service, owner of the lighthouse since 1964, notes that Jones Point Lighthouse is one of the last standing riverine lighthouses in America. This earned its place on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980 (Chesapeake Chapter U.S.L.H.S).
I discovered Jones Point Lighthouse while walking my dog Bella, shortly after moving to Alexandria in early 2021. It very quickly became a special place to me, as I know it is for many others. I feel innately drawn to it, despite its current state of disrepair and the sometimes ominous, troll under the bridge vibe that the initial parking lot stroll toward it may give off, especially when it’s neither crowded or sunny. Personally, the gloomy days are some of my favorite times to visit and I love trudging through the mud in my Wellies. I feel like a lighthouse Keeper; like Isabel Sherbourne from The Light Between Oceans.
However, instead of just a figurative lighthouse Keeper looking back on the past, I hope that a renewed Jones Point Lighthouse will be a hub for active river Keepers as well. I have a vision of Jones Point Lighthouse as a renovated beacon with new life breathed into it. I would absolutely love to be a part of making that happen. Ask anyone- I have been slightly obsessed with this unpolished plan since first glance. I want to redefine the lighthouse’s past purpose of aiding in river navigation of the river itself and the problems it is currently facing; especially in relation to clean drinking water and healthy habitats.
After researching Jones Point Lighthouse’s history and current affairs, which I will elaborate on further below, and after a bit more research into proper nonprofit organization fundraising, I optimistically hope that fundraising for the lighthouse’s renovations may be the 2024 goaal for Gryffin Conservatory & Conservancy toward the “conservancy” aspect of Gryffin’s re-branded mission (we are actively engaged in our 2023 collaborative campaign, fundraising for the Potomac Riverkeeper Network). I believe that caring about the lighthouse leads to getting outside and caring about the river itself, so a renovated lighthouse is good for everyone. A lighthouse filled with passionate scientists, educators, and advocates is even better.
The collaborative efforts of organizations like Gryffin Conservatory & Conservancy, The National Park Service, The Potomac Riverkeeper Network (Waterkeepers Alliance), and others, utilizing a purpose driven historical location like Jones Point Lighthouse, could make a significant difference towards educating, inspiring, and empowering the public, in monitoring the river’s health and in creating a voice to be reckoned with for the Potomac River and the communities it supports to create impactful solutions. Paraphrasing a comment made to me by Potomac Riverkeeper, Dean Naujoks,
“This river was the lifeblood that built this town. Now, the town is losing the river and compromising our collective health by allowing companies to continue to blatantly disrespect it, against the federal law that is The Clean Water Act.”
The Gryffin specific portion of the above proposal, in addition to fundraising, includes creating a water themed museum when I finish my Master’s degree in Museum Studies. This would consist of quarterly exchanged educational exhibions, community engagement events, and work space for active water science and organizational collaborations. A museum was the originally agreed upon, yet never fulfilled arrangement made by the Daughters of the American Revolution and The National Park Service, when The Daughters of the American Revolution fully relinquished the lighthouse to The National Park Service in 1986 (Chesapeake chapter U.S.L.H.S.).
**Please note that these are my thoughts and ideas for the lighthouse. I have not yet actively spoken with, or made any plans with, the above mentioned organizations at this time.**
A National Park Service spokesman, Aaron LaRocca, spoke with Vernon Miles from ALXnow, on January 11, 2022, stating,
“Approximately ten years ago the NPS inveseted over $600,000 in the lighthouse including work on the stairs, porch, and roof. We currently have a proposed project for additional work, including exterior maintenance and interior restoration. However, it has not yet been funded. We recognize the need for ongoing maintenance of the facility, some of which is routine maintenance and some of which is more significant. Park staff are taking steps to develop interim maintenance measures for the site and building with a newly established park strike team. This team, made up of subject matter experts, will identify and execute routine maintenance activities at the Jones Point Lighthouse until funding for more comprehensive repairs can be secured.”
While it is a relief to hear that there is a large action plan in place waiting in the wings, it is disappointing to report that I have yet to see any significantly noticeable actions taken toward the smaller interim plans mentioned in Mr. LaRocca’s statement. I know it is because The National Park Service is understaffed and under budgeted as a whole, especially for smaller parks and historical sites. Technically, Jones Point Park, which includes Jones Point Lighthouse, is underneath the umbrella of funding for The George Washington Parkway. An example of unfortunate neglect due to lack of funding includes the side door of the lighthouse that was vandalized in early 2022. A plywood sheet stood secured over the door frame for almost a year, which you can view in attached photographs. I am happy to write that on my last visit in April 2023, the plywood had been replaced with a real door.
Jones Point Lighthouse is completely gutted on the inside. I have attached historical photographs of the structure after being set on fire, as well as the lighthouse floorplans, to assuage everyone’s curiosity. I hope this will prevent any further vandalism.
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Historic Structures
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NPS
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References
“Chesapeake Chapter U.S.L.H.S.” Chesapeake Chapter U.S.L.H.S., Chesapeake Chapter U.S.L.H.S., 30 Mar. 2023, https://cheslights.org/.
Potomac Riverkeeper Network, 24 Mr. 2023, https://www.potomacriverkeepernetwork.org/.
“Jones Point Lighthouse, Alexandria Virginia.” Historic Structures, https://www.historic-structures.com/va/alexandria/jonespoint_lighthouse/.
“The Jones Point Lighthouse Historical Marker.” Historical Marker, 28 Jan. 2023, https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=60242.
“Jones Point Lighthouse.” LighthouseFriends, https://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=439.
“Jones Point Lighthouse".” National Parks Service, U.S. Department of the Interior, https://www.nps.gov/gwmp/learn/historyculture/jonespointlighthouse.htm.
Miles, Vernon, and James Cullum. “Jones Point Park: Alxnow.” ALXnow Jones Point
