About two decades ago, two Chesapeake Bay couples got it in their heads to embark on something a bit outside the box.
“My uncle Bob, I think, just called my parents and said, ‘Hey, wanna buy a lighthouse?’” Steve Billingsley, a college student at the time, explained in a phone call with Nice News, adding that his uncle was always the one “finding fun things to do.”
Situated on the James River, Middle Ground Lighthouse was built in 1891 to mark a sandbar near Newport News, Virginia, where vessels often took on water when passing through on foggy nights. After decades of manual operation, the beacon was automated in 1954, eliminating the need for full-time keepers and marking the start of the structure’s decline. In 2005, following the passage of the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act, the U.S. Coast Guard put it up for auction.
From left to right, Bob and Joan Gonsoulin, Jackie and Dan Billingsley
Assuming responsibility for a deteriorating offshore lighthouse — about 2 miles from the nearest land — may not be everyone’s idea of “fun,” but Steve comes from a family of engineers and DIYers who feel at home on the water. So his parents, Jackie and Dan Billingsley, along with his aunt and uncle Joan and Bob Gonsoulin, paid $31,000 to become the new keepers of Virginia’s oldest caisson lighthouse.
Over the next few years, they poured more than 7,000 hours and over $300,000 into its renovation, often with the help of Steve’s and his cousins’ friends, who were supplied with plenty of pizza and beer. In between projects, the gang relaxed by cooking crabs on the deck and jumping off it to swim.
Rusted metal and structural damage caused by years of exposure were addressed, along with piles of fish remains and “all sorts of indescribable stuff” left by seagulls that had overtaken the top of the lighthouse, said Steve.
The exterior was repainted with fresh coats of shocking red, and Steve’s mother and grandfather, both carpenters, built custom curved furniture and used wood from the lighthouse to construct a dining room table. The families were able to obtain the original construction drawings from the National Archives, which they now display inside the building and on their website.
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families
Before
Today, the lighthouse has hot and cold pressurized water, a propane gas range, solar panels, a diesel generator, and enough battery storage to support HVAC, lighting, and other essential systems, as well as a Coast Guard-approved sanitation system. And it continues to serve its original purpose: In the lantern room, about 51 feet above the water, a beacon still flashes, guiding vessels as it has for over a century.
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families 
Courtesy of the Billingsley and Gonsoulin families
After
“This lighthouse has been standing out in the middle of the James River for 135 years,” said Steve, “and it’s withstood that test of time [and] been a navigation aid, so it’s really neat just to be on something so unique and so historic.” He pointed out that during the Civil War in 1862, the surrounding waters were the site of the first U.S. conflict between ironclad warships, “one of the most famous naval battles in American history,” per the National Park Service.
But it’s Middle Ground’s role in his family history that clearly means the most. “We’ve had some great times jumping off, swimming, watching dolphins go by and ships go by, fireworks going off on shore,” Steve shared. “Or sometimes sailboat races will use it as a turning point in the race, so boats are just whipping right around and they’re always surprised when somebody’s saying ‘hello’ from the lighthouse.”
With the first generation of owners getting older, however, and the second generation now tending to young children of their own, the families realized the time was right to think about passing the torch. Earlier this year, they listed the lighthouse for $995,000.
“We would love for somebody to get to enjoy it and take care of it just as much as we did,” Steve said. “Obviously, you need to know how to drive a boat to get there and be willing to take on any challenges that it throws your way. But it’s really been a great adventure.”
RELATED: The US Is Giving Away Lighthouses for Free — And You Have GPS to Thank
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