Brandywine Shoal Light
Lighthouse · Cape May County, New Jersey

Brandywine Shoal Light is a lighthouse in Cape May County, New Jersey. New Jersey has 26 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow, 4 of them in Cape May County.
It was built in 1914, in the early 20th century, making it the 18th oldest of the 19 in New Jersey with a recorded construction date; the tower stands about 45 feet tall (10th tallest of 13 measured in New Jersey); its light sits 59 feet above the water; the light characteristic is recorded as FI W 10s, R sector, with a range of about 19 nautical miles; it guards Delaware Bay.
Status check, 2026-11: This is the third light on the site. The current concrete caisson tower was first lit in 1914, replacing the 1828 wooden light and the 1850 screwpile light. The Coast Guard gives the height as 45 ft and Wikipedia as 46 ft. Brandywine Shoal Light is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It is not reachable by road: the nearest road is about 8 miles away, so it is seen from shore or reached by water. It stands at 38.9864° N, 75.1135° W.
Key facts
| Current structure built | 1914 |
|---|---|
| Tower height | 45 ft |
| Focal height | 59 ft |
| Light characteristic | FI W 10s, R sector |
| Range | 19 nautical miles |
| Body of water | Delaware Bay |
| Heritage designation | National Register of Historic Places listed place |
| National Register | Listed |
| Coordinates | 38.98640, -75.11350 |
Nearby places
- Fourteen Foot Bank Lightlighthouse · Kent County · 5.7 mi
- Cape May Lighthouselighthouse · Cape May County · 9 mi
- South Cape Mayghost town · Cape May County · 9.9 mi
- Miah Maull Shoal Lightlighthouse · Cumberland County · 11 mi
- Mispillion Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 11.2 mi
- Mispillion Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 11.2 mi
- Harbor of Refuge Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 11.9 mi
- Delaware Breakwater East End Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 13.1 mi
- Cape Henlopen Beaconlighthouse · Sussex County · 13.7 mi
- Delaware Breakwater Range Front Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 13.7 mi
- Delaware Breakwater Range Rear Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 13.9 mi
- Cape Henlopen Lightlighthouse · Sussex County · 14.5 mi
Questions
Where is Brandywine Shoal Light?
Brandywine Shoal Light is in Cape May County, New Jersey, at 38.9864, -75.1135.
How many lighthouses are in Cape May County?
Cape May County, New Jersey has 4 lighthouses on record at Wayfarrow.
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wayfarrow status check (web sources) — Checked for current status (facts)
- Wikidata — Wikidata item (CC0)
- National Register of Historic Places — National Register of Historic Places record (public-domain)
- Wikidata — Wikipedia article (linked as a source; text not used) (CC0)
Facts marked "approximately" carry an uncertain date in the source. Text on this page is generated from the sources above; no encyclopedia prose is copied. Last updated 2026-11-05.