Lighthouse Dream

SoldMLS record closed September 28-29, 2026

Middle Ground Lighthouse: Sold in Virginia, 2026

Virginia's oldest caisson lighthouse, a fully furnished 1891 tower reached only by boat. Listed at $995,000 in June 2026 and closed in late September.

Price unconfirmed Sold September 2026

  • Middle Ground Lighthouse at dusk, a bright red tower on a round base in open water with a flag on the lantern.
    Middle Ground Lighthouse in the lower Chesapeake Bay.
  • Inside the glassed lantern room looking across the water toward a bridge, with an American flag and the lamp mounted on a white pedestal.
    The lantern room, still working and maintained by the Coast Guard.
  • The round port room converted to a living area, with a curved teal sofa following the wall, brass portholes and a white central column.
    The port room as a living area. The sofa is built to the curve of the wall.
  • A kitchen and dining area with white cabinets, a wooden table with red chairs and benches, and a compass rose painted on the ceiling around a white column.
    Kitchen and dining table. A compass rose on the ceiling helps you keep your bearings on the stairs.
  • The sleeping quarters with a painted mural of a river landscape across the curved wall, a built-in desk and an exposed brick wall.
    Sleeping quarters with a hand-painted mural.
  • The watch room with pale green walls covered in decades of handwritten signatures and a pair of red doors open to the gallery.
    The watch room, with signatures on the walls and red doors to the gallery.
  • The renovated red tower rising from open water, with its round deck, railing and lantern room.
    The renovated exterior. Photo: Middle Ground Lighthouse owners, middlegroundlighthousehistory.com
  • The red tower photographed at dusk with the lantern glowing and the deck lit.
    The exterior with the lights on. Photo: Middle Ground Lighthouse owners, middlegroundlighthousehistory.com
  • The watch room before restoration with scratched and graffiti-covered white walls and a red door.
    The watch room before restoration. Photo: Middle Ground Lighthouse owners, middlegroundlighthousehistory.com
  • The port room before restoration, exposed brick walls with two round portholes.
    The port room before restoration. Photo: Middle Ground Lighthouse owners, middlegroundlighthousehistory.com

Photos: Courtesy middlegroundlight.com, as published by Northern Virginia Magazine, and the owners' site

Photos come from the sellers and are shown here with credit and a link to the original. If you own a photo and want it removed, write to us and we will take it down.

· Courtesy middlegroundlight.com, as published by Northern Virginia Magazine, and the owners' site · Click the photo to close

Questions about Middle Ground

Has Middle Ground been sold?

Yes, Middle Ground Lighthouse has been sold. It sold in September 2026. The Bright MLS record moved from pending on August 29 to closed on September 28 or 29. It had been listed on June 20, 2026 at $995,000 by Debbie Kent of Cottage Street Realty.

How much is Middle Ground?

The asking price was $995,000. The MLS history then shows a reduction to $900,000 and a sold entry of $995,000 on the same day, so the final price is unconfirmed. The owners paid $31,000 at a federal auction in 2005 and restored the tower themselves.

Where is Middle Ground and how do you get there?

Middle Ground stands in Hampton Roads off Newport News, Virginia, near the Monitor and Merrimack battle site, beside one of the busiest shipping channels on the East Coast. Access was by private boat only, and visitors needed the owners' permission.

What comes with Middle Ground?

The listing offered it fully furnished with a service vessel. About 1,100 to 1,251 square feet inside, plus more than 1,100 square feet of decks. Power came from solar panels, batteries and a diesel generator, with rainwater collection and mini-split heating and cooling.

What is the sale history of Middle Ground?

Two families bought Middle Ground for $31,000 at a federal auction in 2005 and restored it over three to four years. They listed it in 2026 at $995,000, and it closed in September. That is about 32 times the auction price.

  1. Bought at a federal auction $31,000

    Two families, the Gonsoulins and the Billingsleys, bought the abandoned tower at a GSA auction under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. Restoration took three to four years, mostly volunteer labor, and the tower then served as a family vacation home.

    Source

  2. Offered for private sale by the owners

    Inquiries went through the owners' website first.

    Source

  3. Listed on Bright MLS $995,000

    Source

  4. Status changed to pending $995,000

    Source

  5. Closed on September 28 or 29 per the MLS record

    The MLS history shows a price decrease to $900,000 and a sold line of $995,000 on the same day. The two entries disagree, so we treat the final price as unconfirmed.

    Source

What did the Middle Ground listing offer?

The Middle Ground listing offered the oldest caisson lighthouse in Virginia, built in 1891, fully furnished and running. The two families who bought it in 2005 did most of the rebuilding themselves with volunteer help.

Sleeping quarters have hand-painted murals, and the ceilings carry compass roses because the spiral stairs disorient people. Real estate taxes are currently exempt, and the light still flashes every night with the Coast Guard maintaining the lantern.

What does the 2005 auction price tell buyers?

The $31,000 auction price in 2005 was for a wreck: rotted floors, birds inside, and a ladder hanging from one bolt. The 2026 asking price was for a finished home with a boat. The gap is what restoration cost.

That is why the auction price alone says little about what a working lighthouse is worth. See the sold lighthouses table for more pairs like this.

Can you still buy Middle Ground?

No, you cannot still buy Middle Ground, because it has sold and nothing is on offer. Debbie Kent of Cottage Street Realty LLC held the listing. Lighthouse Dream is not the broker. See the lighthouses for sale now.

Before you go further

Sources

Checked October 13, 2026. See something wrong or out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.

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