This white clapboard lighthouse was constructed in 1856 to warn ships entering the ports of Alexandria, Georgetown, and Washington, DC off sandbars in the Potomac River. Like many early lights, it was originally fueled with whale oil. However in 1858 gas lines were laid and the lamp converted. After numerous problems with the lines, the lamp was converted to mineral oil in 1900 and acetylene in 1919. By the early 1900s construction in the area had limited the usefulness of the light and in 1926 it was replaced by steel frame tower on the shore and discontinued. The structure was turned over to the Daughters of the American Revolution who later deeded it over to Department of the Interior. It is now surrounded by a 50 acre park next to the Woodrow Wilson Bridge. The DAR, in conjunction with the National Park Service and volunteers, maintain the structure which has been partially renovated.