Description: Constructing the Baltimore Lighthouse proved to be one of the more difficult tasks ever undertaken in the interests of establishing an aid to navigation in the United States. When the Lighthouse Board requested $60,000 in 1890 for a beacon to mark the entry point of the Baltimore Channel near the mouth of the Magothy River, it had some idea of what it was getting into: "On account of the impressible character of the shoal, and the liability to damage or destruction by fields of moving ice, no light-house, other than an expensive one, can be made permanent." The difficulty of the task delayed completion of the lighthouse until eighteen years after the initial request for funding.
Congress granted the Board's first request for funding in 1894, and the site was subsequently examined by boring deep into the shoal at the selected site. The results of these tests were discouraging as they revealed that a "layer of soft mud extended 55 feet below the surface of the shoal." The Board concluded that while sinking a foundation through this deep mud would be "somewhat difficult" for the allotted $60,000, a lighthouse resting on a screwpile foundation might be possible. In 1899, however, the failure of an experimental disk pile placed at the site doomed the screwpile option. The Board was led to conclude "that the expense of building a light-station in the 55 feet of semifluid mud which overlays the sandy bottom" would cost twice as much as the original request and would require a caisson foundation capable of resisting 100 m.p.h. winds, 30,000 pounds of ice pressure per square foot and a three m.p.h. current. The Board made their new recommendation annually to Congress three times, until in 1902 the entire amount was approved.
Construction of Baltimore Lighthouse nearing completion
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
Bidding for the job was opened in 1903. Somewhat ominously, only one bid came in and that was $80,000 over budget. The sole bid was rejected, but Congress approved yet another $60,000 to make the project feasible, bringing the grand total of allocated money to $180,000. In the next round of bidding, William H. Flaherty was the only participant. He and his partner, Frederick Martin Lande, had experience building caisson lighthouses and by cutting back on certain material allotments were able to submit a bid below the budgeted amount.
The metalwork for the lighthouse was contracted to a company in Atlanta, Georgia, which completed the task in 1904. In September of that year, a portion of the thirty-foot diameter metal cylinder that would serve as the foundation was launched from the Lazaretto Lighthouse Depot and towed to the site. A Baltimore newspaper commented that "the erecting of this big lighthouse will be one of the most difficult tasks ever undertaken by lighthouse builders." Indeed, two days after its arrival heavy seas filled the cylinder and knocked it off kilter by about seven feet. At this point, the caisson had been sunk a mere eight feet into the shoal. The contractor left the site to gather additional materials and returned in October only to watch as a bad storm caused the cylinder to overturn on its side. Flaherty left the scene once more, and this time he did not come back.
The government sued the contractor, and the insurance company which had bonded Flaherty was forced to step in and complete the job. The United States Fidelity and Guaranty Company tried to bring the caisson back to level over the next three years. First they removed over half of the 120 iron plates attached to the structure, then they built a U-shaped pier around the lighthouse grounds and brought in counterbalancing equipment, which consisted of a steam engine, air compressors, water tanks, a hoisting machine, A-frames and temporary quarters for workers. By 1907, the insurance company had righted the caisson off the horizontal using 80 tons of weights and pumps to remove the mud from underneath one side of the cylinder. They then proceeded to reattach the plates and sink the caisson the required 82 feet beneath the high water mark.
The Lighthouse Board's 1908 report remarked that "the righting of the caisson and the sinking of the foundation cylinder into its required position have been performed with remarkable success." The top of the caisson foundation flares out to support an octagonal, two-story brick structure topped by a mansard roof originally covered with colorful slate tiles. The first floor provided the main living space for the keeper, including a kitchen and sitting room. The kitchen was equipped with a hand pump to bring up water from the cistern housed in the top portion of the caisson. Just outside a cast-iron structure resembling a guard shack and cantilevered over the water served as the station's privy. Two bedrooms were located on the second floor, while a small watch room was located in the mansard roof. An octagonal lantern room, topped with a copper roof, ventilator ball, and lightning spindle finish of the lighthouse. At long last, the Baltimore Lighthouse was commissioned on October 1, 1908, with the lighting of its fourth-order Fresnel lens.
Installation of atomic generator in Baltimore Lighthouse
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
The Baltimore Lighthouse became the world's first nuclear powered lighthouse in 1964, when a 60-watt isotopic power generator was installed. According to a local newspaper, this generator was "smaller than a 55-gallon oil drum," and was reputed to be capable of supplying an uninterrupted ten-year flow of electricity without any maintenance or refueling. The installation of the generator is shown in the photograph to the right, but it was removed two years later as the Coast Guard was concerned with "cost and environmental considerations."
Like most lighthouses, Baltimore has suffered since automation removed its live-in caretakers. A 1983 Coast Guard Report, made in preparation for the extensive "Operation Spruce Up," revealed how bad the damage had become. Besides the near ubiquitous water damage, unsealed windows had led to proliferation of pigeons, bird eggs, and guano "several inches thick on all decks and even the stairway." The lantern glass panes and the lens, serving as a beautiful beacon, also inevitably attracted their share of bullets. Vandals had also left their mark on the wooden door and had even tried to burn the interior of the lighthouse.
To preserve the lighthouse, the windows were filled in with bricks, the wooden door was replaced with a steel one, acrylic panes were installed in the lantern and the access ladders were put beyond normal human reach. In 1988, the commander of the Coast Guard's lighthouse maintenance ship Red Birch expressed concern for the condition of the Baltimore structure. While he acknowledged that the boat davits and the iron outhouse no longer had any utility, he still recommended painting them in the interests of "historical significance." Between 1989 and 1990, the Red Birch's efforts included sandblasting the caisson, caulking and painting the masonry and replacing the water-logged timbers of the lantern floor with tongue and groove boards.
Baltimore Harbor Lighthouse was put up for public auction by the Real Property Disposal Division of the General Services Administration after no non-profit groups expressed interested in assuming responsibility for the structure when it was offered in 2004. With maintenance and repair costs escalating as our nation's historic lighthouses age, private ownership is increasingly being turned to as a means to preserve them. The auction ended on June 28, 2006 with a final bid of $260,000. The new owner, BHL, LLC of Annapolis, MD is a partnership of private citizens (four couples), who are committed to the preservation and restoration of Baltimore Harbor Light. The terms of the sale dictate that the Coast Guard be granted access to the lighthouse for occasional checkups on the still-active light. The owners eventually plan on sharing their "privately owned museum" with the public through evenings or overnights at the lighthouse.
Description: The predecessor to the current Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse was constructed on two acres of land on the western side of the Chesapeake Bay, near where today's suspension bridge meets the shore. Congress first appropriated $8,000 for the lighthouse in 1854, and the resulting keeper's quarters with an integral tower and lantern were finished in 1858. W. J. Humes built the original structure, which boasted four rooms, a cellar and an attached kitchen. The brick quarters measured 31.5 by 18.5 feet, and the lantern tower with its flashing white light was painted red. In 1863, a fog bell was added to work in concert with the lighthouse's fifth-order Fresnel lens.
Before long, this setup was deemed completely inadequate to service the increasingly heavy volume of passenger steamers destined for the port of Baltimore. By the mid-1870s the treacherous shoals extended nearly a mile into the bay, and the tiny light and distant fog bell were of no use to "vessels drawing more than ten feet of water." According to an 1874 Lighthouse Board report, the fog bell "could seldom be heard," and "the defects of its location (were) especially felt during stormy weather in winter." The Board recommended that a screwpile lighthouse be established at the edge of the shoal, and requested $40,000 for its construction.
The request was repeated annually until Congress finally allocated $25,000 in 1882. The Board insisted that the exposed location of the shoal and the fields of moving ice called for the full $40,000, but that amount was denied. Consequently, the Board decided to use a caisson foundation and a more cost-effective brick tower, rather than the cast-iron structure they had originally intended to build.
Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse in 1885
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
Construction was begun using these modified plans in August of 1883, and remarkably the lighthouse was finished by October of that same year. A Board report offers a matter-of-fact description of the efficiency and speed with which Sandy Point was erected. In August the workmen and material arrived at the site, and piles for a work platform were driven into the shoal's bottom. By mid-August a derrick mast, concrete mixer, engine, boiler and boom were also in place. In late August the various sections of the caisson were already being assembled; these were "sunk into the sand 3 feet and leveled by means of a water-jet and force pump." During the month of September, 1,000 cubic yards of concrete were mixed and deposited into the caisson, weighing it down firmly into the sand. By the end of September, all was ready for the construction of the brick lighthouse, and on October 10 the tower was topped by the lantern. Though ready for exhibition on October 18, the light was not shown until October 30, 1883, pending publication of an official notice to mariners.
The Sandy Point lighthouse possesses a three story timber-framed and masonry dwelling, measuring 24 feet square. The structure has its corners truncated, which gives it an octagonal appearance. A mansard roof, interrupted by peaked dormer windows on each of its four sides, tops the dwelling. Combined with the two adjacent windows on the north and south sides of the first two floors, the dormer windows lend a Victorian elegance to the lighthouse. This effect is accentuated by ornamental exterior brickwork, as well as a bracketed wooden cornice between the first and second levels.
The tower's cellar level consists of an octagonal room 16 feet wide, set within the actual concrete of the caisson. This room, accessed from the first floor via a wooden ship's ladder, was used to store coal, water and oil. In the center of the room stands a masonry column, which supports a hollow iron column that lends structural integrity to the dwelling. At one time, the column housed the counter-weights for the fog bell striking mechanism. The first floor contains a 7 by 11 foot kitchen with a pantry, as well as a living room with a fireplace in the corner. The living room measures 9 by 19 feet, and would be used in the lighthouse's later years as a radio equipment room. Three bedrooms are located on the second floor.
Continuing up the spiral staircase, one ascends to the third or watch room level, which is split into two rooms. The walls on this level are wood framed with beaded wood paneling. The fog bell was originally hung from the east dormer on this level, but it has been removed. Moving up to the lantern room, the staircase switches from counter-clockwise to clockwise. This room's original glass panes were set in cast-iron frames, above which rests a copper, standing seam roof lined on the inside with sheet metal. On the top of the roof there sits a ventilator ball. A half door made of plywood grants access via the parapet wall to the lantern gallery, which includes an iron balustrade. Two solar panels were ultimately bolted to the top rail of the gallery to power the light ’Äì a modern beacon that replaced the original Henry LePaute fourth-order Fresnel lens.
Sandy Point Shoal lighthouse was repaired and upgraded numerous times, before it was automated in 1963. The first of the changes consisted of switching the flashing light for one of a fixed characteristic in 1890. During this same year, the boat hoisters were fixed and the exterior of the tower was given several coats of paint to help combat the corrosive wind and sea-salt. A bit of an emergency occurred in 1901, when a routine inspection discovered a dangerous scour beneath the foot of the caisson. The McClenahan Granite Company out of Port Deposit, Maryland was contracted to put down 670 cubic yards of riprap stone in order to secure the foundation. Technological alterations to the lighthouse included a change from an oil wick lighting system to incandescent oil-vapor in 1913. This, in turn, was superseded by electricity in 1929, during which time the light characteristic was changed back to a flashing one. In 1938, the fog signal was described as a "third-class reed horn with a 12 foot copper trumpet." After automation, a modern fog signal sounded every thirty seconds from mid September to the 1st of June.
While automation did reduce costs, the unmanned Sandy Point Lighthouse was an easy target for the senseless acts of individuals. In mid-June of 1979, waterborne vandals broke off the exterior lock, climbed the tower, destroyed all the window panes in the lantern save one, and shattered the priceless 19th century crystal lens. Frustrated by the desecration of structures with tremendous navigational and historical importance, the Coast Guard called the vandalism a "dangerous, costly and senseless act" that endangers "the lives and property of mariners who depend on these aids" and offered a reward for finding the culprits. No one was ever apprehended or prosecuted, however.
Between 1988 and 1990 the Coast Guard made a number of repairs, including substituting the deteriorating tin cornices with historically accurate mahogany replacements. This was achieved by removing a section of the old cornices and using it to make patterns at a Coast Guard Yard. Despite these efforts, there was plenty of other work that needed to be done. The gallery deck was badly cracked and threatened to admit water between the iron and concrete portions of the caisson. Injuries to the brick tower included crumbling bricks and mortar in need of point work, as well as missing window trim. Water damage to the interior had ruined most of the woodwork and plaster. In 1995 some of these concerns were addressed when a new copper roof was added, the gallery deck, rails and landing ladder were repaired or replaced, and the lighthouse was thoroughly repainted.
In 2006, the work of maintaining the lighthouse was placed into the hands of private ownership via an auction held by the government's Real Property Disposal Division. After no non-profit groups expressed interested in the lighthouse whent it was offered under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act in 2005, it was auctioned of on the internet where the winning bid, submitted on June 28, was $250,000. The private owner of the Sandy Point Lighthouse is required to allow Coast Guard access to the structure for periodical maintenance of the light. Only time will tell if auctioning off the offshore lighthouses on the Chesapeake Bay will be successful in preserving these beacons.
Description: Bloody Point Bar Lighthouse is located just off the southern tip of Kent Island, marking the entrance to Eastern Bay. Though the lighthouse stands in about seven feet of water and warns mariners of shoals near Poplar Island with a red sector, it is also close to one of the Bay's deepest shipping channels at 174 feet.
The lighthouse's name is apropos since the nearby point according to legends has been the scene of a number of violent events throughout history. In the early days of the nation, a group of Indians was reportedly enticed to the area by English colonists, who then butchered the trusting natives. It is also rumored that a villainous French pirate was hung at Bloody Point. Though the authenticity of these tragic events may be questionable, the charred and hollow shell of iron that is the Bloody Point Lighthouse provides tangible evidence of a tragic fire that very nearly killed two crewmen.
Bloody Point Bar Lighthouse in 1885
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
The Lighthouse Board first included a proposal for the Bloody Point Lighthouse in their annual report to Congress of 1868, but it would be thirteen years later, in 1881, that $25,000 was finally earmarked for the project. The Board called for "an iron caisson 30 feet in diameter and 30 feet high, surmounted by an iron tower 37 feet high"- specifications very similar to the structure then being built at Sharp's Island. The contract for the lighthouse was granted to Thomas Evans, and the ironworks were awarded to the same foundry used for Sharp's Island.
Construction began in earnest on June 5, 1882, and by the end of that month a large wooden platform had been erected at the site. Upon the platform were a derrick mast, concrete mixer, and an engine, and soon twenty-two piles had been driven into the seabed. A floor of 6- by 12-inch timbers was set upon the piles to provide a strong foundation for the caisson. The first tier of plates composing the cylinder were then bolted together, attached to the flooring, and lowered into position atop the piles. When the final levels of plates had been attached, the cylinder was filled with over 700 cubic yards of concrete.
By the end of August, a 37-foot-tall cast iron tower was erected on the caisson and lined with brick. On the tower's lower levels, various windows and the entry door were set in pedimented cast iron openings, while the watchroom level was adorned with circular, porthole type window openings. The lighthouse interior originally consisted of five rooms, one of which was located below the water's surface. This basement room was accessed by a steep ladder and housed twin 250-gallon water tanks that collected rainwater. The first level contained an all-purpose room that served as a kitchen, parlor, radio room, and dining room. A spiral staircase led up to the second level and watch level with their Spartan sleeping rooms, and then to the lantern room. The lantern is a ten-sided, cast iron creation and originally contained a fourth-order Fresnel lens with a range of thirteen miles. J. Regester & Sons of Baltimore cast the fog bell for the station in 1882.
All the construction work was finished rather promptly, for the light was first exhibited on October 1, 1882. The Board was pleased that the new Bloody Point Lighthouse was also "useful (as a) Chesapeake Bay light, as a straight run can be made from it to Sandy Point buoy, or the reverse, thus avoiding Thomas's Point Shoal, should that light be destroyed by the ice."
The Board definitely favored caissons at this time, having learned that screwpile lighthouses could sometimes become dislodged from their foundations and float away with sheets of heavy ice. The caisson at Bloody Point was not invulnerable to environmental damage, however. Severe storms during the winter of 1883 "scoured the sand from under the northwest side of the light-house and caused a settling of the structure toward that direction." Bloody Point was found to be leaning six degrees off center, and riprap stone was hastily put down around the affected northwest corner. This solution was inadequate, though, as that stone was either carried away by storms or so heavy that it sank into the soft mud of the Chesapeake. In 1884 the Board tried a more drastic means of eliminating the lighthouse's tilt. Sand was dredged out from beneath the side opposite the list, successfully reducing the inclination to two degrees. The excavation was filled in, and heavy, 30-foot brush mattresses were placed all around the lighthouse and weighted down with small stones. In the spring of 1885, the structure was further secured by 760 tons of larger stones, which were used to form a 'scour apron.' This technique has kept the lighthouse aligned within two degrees of vertical to this day, and the scour apron is visible at low tide.
Bloody Point Bar Lighthouse
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
Bloody Point Lighthouse received a number of maintenance upgrades in 1899. Specifically, the station's copper smoke pipe was refurbished, the pipes for the water tanks were repaired, the machinery for the fog bell was replaced, and various doors and windows also received care. The station's overall appearance, however, remained much the same until 1960, when am electrical short caused a fire to erupt in the lighthouse. Two young coastguardsmen, aged 19 and 20, attempted to quell the flames as they spread outwards from the equipment room. "We would use the extinguishers until the smoke got us, then run outside for air," said the station's engineman. "We did this maybe three or four times until the fire spread into the kitchen and living room." At this point it was evident that the flames would reach a storage room containing a 500-gallon fuel tank, so the two decided to abandon the station. They lowered the escape boat by using a 20-foot oar to operate the manual clutch on the boat hoist. The boat descended through flames until it just touched the water, but could not float free of the davits. "Neither of us had a knife to cut the block and tackle. We were stuck there, an inch from escape," recounted the engineman. Right before the terrible explosion a large wave lifted the boat and freed it, allowing the two coastguardsmen to escape with their lives.
The blaze was fought by a Coast Guard cutter and two other boats for more than six hours, but the wooden interior of the structure was a total loss. The lens fell victim to the blaze as well, so a temporary buoy was used until the station was automated with an acrylic lens in 1961. At this time, the interior was gutted and external features such as the lower gallery roof, stovepipe, and davits were eliminated. Only a single steel ladder and the exposed cast iron plates remain.
The heat stress from the fire and subsequent corrosion has caused widespread cracking of the plates. In addition, water has seeped between the steel cylinder and its concrete filling. Freezing of this seepage during the winter has caused some damage to the caisson. Only the cantilevered lantern deck, composed of cast iron triangle plates, remains in relatively good condition. Solar panels power the modern lens, which is still an active aid to navigation.
On December 7th of 2006, Bloody Point Lighthouse was purchased at auction by a Nevada-based lawyer named Michael Gabriel. The online auction, conducted by the General Services Administration, opened at $5,000 on September 22. As the tentative closing date approached, the bidding heated up. After several extensions to the auction, Gabriel finally won the 124-year-old lighthouse with a bid of $100,000.
Fortunately, Mr. Gabriel is committed to restoring the light, and he initially plans to add a dock. Later, he would like to contract out the work of restoring the kitchen and living areas. He sees the dilapidated condition of the lighthouse as a positive factor in its eventual restoration: "This way," he said, "it's all ready to go." He admitted that he may "have a bit of an eccentric bent," but he is quite serious about spending upwards of $200,000 on restoration. He is considering donating the structure to a non-profit following his work; a nearby Baptist church has already expressed interest in maintaining it.
In August of 2009, Gabriel announced that he would be dedicating a room in each of his offshore lighthouses to a brewery. "I'm starting this process with Bloody Point and Fourteen Foot before moving on to Borden Flats," Gabriel explained. "We're not talking about a huge amount of beer here, something like 20 to 40 barrels a week that we will look to sell to local restaurants and breweries. My hope is to have the breweries pay for the lighthouse's ongoing maintenance. We will already be using the desalination process in here to create water, but the device I am purchasing creates so much more water than we will need, and this seemed like a great use for it. We want to create a unique beer here, and it will be unique ’Äî the only one made from seawater."
As the desalination systems costs around $100,000 and renovating the lighthouse will be more than that, having a money generating operation isn't a bad idea. Though an official name hasn't been selected for the beer, Sea Ale and Lighthouse Brew have been considered.
Description: The need for a lighthouse near Thomas Point was recommended in an 1821 letter from William B. Barney, Naval Officer for the port of Baltimore, to Stephen Pleasonton of the U.S. Treasury.
Many ship owners and seafaring men of respectability have frequently spoken to me on the subject of a light to be placed at the end of Thomas' Point bar, a few miles below Annapolis; which extends a considerable distance out into the Bay, cutting the direct track of vessels bound up or down; at the end of which from four feet, you instantly deepen to six and seven fathoms water. A light placed here, would be of as great utility as perhaps any one in the Chesapeake Bay.
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse in 1885
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
The first light to mark Thomas Point was also prolific lighthouse builder John Donahoo's first attempt at a lighthouse. In 1825 Donahoo completed his conical, 30-foot-tall tower, which was eighteen feet in diameter at its base and tapered to nine feet at the lantern room. A cozy, stone keeper's cottage was built at the same time, measuring 24 by 20 feet and containing two large rooms, each with its own fireplace.
By 1838, the lighthouse, originally located 100 feet from the edge of a high bluff, was in danger of toppling into the bay. Winslow Lewis, an early associate of Donahoo's, was given $2,000 to tear down the old lighthouse and rebuild it behind the keeper's dwelling. Over time, erosion reduced the seven-acre acre parcel on which the lighthouse was built to a two-acre island, separated from the mainland by a strip of water. The lighthouse remained standing until 1894, when it too was lost to erosion.
Years before the lighthouse collapsed, the Lighthouse Board had moved to replace it. In 1872, the board reported "that the lighthouse at Thomas's Point ’Ķ can serve but poorly its purpose as a warning of the dangerous shoal that makes out from it at a distance of one and one quarter miles into the bay." The following year, Congress appropriated $20,000 to replace the original lighthouse with an offshore structure built "on the extreme point of the shoal."
The Lighthouse Board had previously erected several economical screwpile lighthouses at various points in the Bay - only to see many of them succumb to heavy fields of moving ice. Desiring to build a sturdier caisson-type lighthouse on Thomas Point Shoal, the Lighthouse Board requested an additional $25,000 for the project. When the additional funding was not immediately granted, the decision was made to proceed with a screwpile design. Five acres of submerged land was conveyed to the Federal Government by the State of Maryland on October 28, 1874, and with an additional $15,000 allocated by Congress in March of 1875, the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse was ready for its inaugural lighting on November 20, 1875.
The lighthouse's hexagonal cottage has a diameter of thirty-five feet and rests upon seven piles, a single central pile and six perimeter piles. The dwelling is picturesque, exhibiting such careful touches as carved balusters on the walkways encircling both the first level and the lantern, and six dormer windows interrupting the dwelling's sloping roof at regular intervals.
The cottage's first level is divided into five rooms: a mechanical room, bedroom, bathroom, dayroom, and kitchen. Although the original privy is still cantilevered over the bay from the lower gallery, the Coast Guard installed an indoor "incinomode," an electrically superheated toilet that incinerates waste, around 1971. A central, spiral staircase leads to the second floor, where another bedroom and a room that formerly housed the fog bell striking mechanism are located.
Crewmen lowering Boston Whaler from station in 1968
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
The lantern room, accessed by a ships ladder from the second level, is situated forty-three feet above mean high tide. A fourth-order Fresnel lens, manufactured by L. Sautter & Co., was previously mounted atop the cast-iron pedestal that now supports a modern beacon. The historic lens has been removed to the Commander's Office of the Coast Guard in Baltimore.
Thomas Point Lighthouse was endangered in the winter of 1877, when heavy sheets of ice damaged the screwpile foundation. The crushing impact of the ice overturned the lens, damaging it badly enough that it had to be replaced. As a result, an ice-breaker consisting of "three wrought-iron screwpiles, connected together by double channel-iron beams, surmounted by heavy cast-iron caps, securely bolted together" was positioned ninety feet north of the light station. Over the years, tons of riprap have been placed about the piles to provide further protection from ice and scouring.
By 1964, Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse was the only manned station on the Chesapeake Bay. Four Coastguardsmen divvied up lighthouse duties, with each taking a week of shore leave every four weeks. A lightship tender made a monthly delivery of fresh water, fuel and supplies. This state of affairs lasted until the 1970's, when a three-man crew, with a two-weeks-on, one-week-off rotation took over. The crewman arriving at the station would bring groceries and mail for the week, and the one leaving would tote away the trash. Scott Kaufman, stationed at the lighthouse in the early 1980's, commented that living at the station gave him plenty of time to think. "All the problems you have. You can just sit out here and think out all the angles. I'll even sit here and think about my friend's problems. That's how much time I have."
In 1972 the station felt the effects of tropical storm Agnes, which raised 23-foot waves and brought them crashing down upon the cottage and foundation. The lighthouse managed to survive the assault with only minimal damage, but for a while there was some question if it would survive the Coast Guard's announcement that same year that the lighthouse would be "evaluated for cost effectiveness." In the past, other screwpile lighthouses had simply been set afire, and then replaced by a low-maintenance structure mounted on the old pile foundation. Public outcry, bolstered by politicians looking for a cause in an election year, managed to change the Coast Guard's plans, and on January 23, 1975, Thomas Point Lighthouse was granted historic landmark status. The Coast Guard staffed the lighthouse until it was fully automated in 1986.
Under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000, a consortium of four partners (the Annapolis Maritime Museum, the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, the City of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County) took control of the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse in 2004. The City of Annapolis serves as the owner of the station, leasing it to the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society, which acts as the managerial organization. The Annapolis Maritime Museum houses exhibits on the lighthouse and serves as a shore-departure point for tours to the lighthouse, while Anne Arundel County offers expert advice on how best to preserve the light and the surrounding environment. Lighthouse enthusiasts are now fortunate to have the opportunity to tour the only unaltered screwpile lighthouse in the United States remaining attached to its original foundation.
Description: Today the Sharps Island Lighthouse sits in ten feet of water, warning seafarers of the shoals off Poplar Island and Black Walnut Point. The sharply tilted caisson structure is the third lighthouse to service this area of the Eastern Chesapeake Bay near the entrance to the Choptank River. The first lighthouse was actually situated on Sharps Island, which at one time comprised about 900 acres and was home to a thriving agricultural community. In the 17th century the isle had three owners: William Claiborne, John Bateman and Peter Sharp, a Quaker physician whose name was applied to the island.
A wealthy Baltimore boot and shoe manufacturer, Milton R. Creighton, constructed a resort hotel on Sharps Island, even though the island was losing several feet of its surface area each year to the encroaching Chesapeake. By the time the lighthouse board made plans for a navigational beacon at the site, the fate of the shrinking island was a foregone conclusion. That is why in 1837 Congress appropriated the relatively small sum of $5,000 to build an integrated and portable station, with the lantern built on top of the wooden keeper's quarters. In 1848, the lighthouse was moved farther inland as the island continued to lose the battle with erosion. This early navigational aid possessed a fixed light, which was upgraded using a fifth-order Fresnel lens in 1855. By 1865 the relentless waters had once again reached the lighthouse, "leaving no doubt," according to a Board report, "as to the result." Indeed, by the year 1900 the island was only 94 acres in size and Creighton's hotel had begun to disappear.
Sharps Island Lighthouse in 1885
Photograph courtesy U.S. Coast Guard
The Lighthouse Board decided to deploy a screwpile structure at a site four miles off Tilghman Island to replace the original Sharps Island Lighthouse. During construction in 1865, the urgency of erecting the new beacon was punctuated by an emergency at the old light. All the furniture and even the illuminating apparatus had to be removed from the endangered old lighthouse. For two harrowing weeks in November, no light was shown at all. This situation was temporarily remedied by a wooden tripod exhibiting a signal from a steamer's lens.
The screwpile lighthouse was soon completed, but owing to its open location amidst some of the deepest waters of the Chesapeake, it only lasted fourteen years. In 1881, the cumulative damage from heavy, moving ice fields finally wrenched the lighthouse from its foundation and carried it away. The Board reported that despite the tragedy "there was no loss of life; the keepers remained on the wreck until it grounded" on a point five miles away.
Less than a month after the destruction of the second lighthouse, Congress earmarked a hefty $35,000 to build a cast-iron, concrete-filled caisson upon which a brick-lined, iron tower would be situated. The Board recognized that another screwpile was "liable to be again destroyed by the heavy runs of ice so prevalent in Chesapeake Bay in severe winters..." They were confident, however, that "the solidity and great weight of (a caisson structure)...would be effective."
The caisson was constructed to be both 30 feet in diameter and height; the iron tower containing the keepers' quarters and topped by a ten-sided lantern room was 37 feet high. This puts the light about 54 feet above mean high tide. Construction was somewhat delayed on the project, and when the keepers took up residence in the early winter of 1882 the water cisterns and other equipment had yet to be installed. The lighthouse originally possessed a fixed white light pouring forth from a fourth-order lens, of French manufacture.
Although the sturdy caisson withstood the ice pressure far better than its screwpile predecessor, in the 1970s especially heavy winter ice gave Sharps Island Lighthouse its characteristic tilt. The list is about 15 to 20 degrees, and appears quite precarious although the structure is, to date, fundamentally sound. The inclination, however, was severe enough to require the removal of the Fresnel lens, which was replaced with a 250 millimeter plastic beacon. This new apparatus was placed on a leveling plate fastened to the lens pedestal, where it gives off a flashing white signal. A red sector is used to mark dangerous shoals.
The Maryland Historical Trust conducted a detailed study of the tower and found that the iron plates of the caisson were cracked and corroding. This condition is due both to water leaking into the interface of the iron and concrete segments of the caisson, causing freezing and thawing damage, as well as a lack of paint to protect the structure. Water damage is not limited to the caisson only. A combination of an open door, unglazed windows and an uncovered coal chute have led to the rotting away of the first level's wooden floor and spalling of the tower's brick masonry lining.
A wooden staircase leads from the first level and ascends along the curved walls to the upper floors that have unfortunately not escaped exposure and corrosion damage either. Poor ventilation, demonstrated by the seven porthole windows in the watchroom being glazed with unventilated acrylic, and exposure to the elements have contributed to the current condition.
The ultimate fate of this deteriorating lighthouse has not yet been determined. One estimate puts the repair bill at a quarter of a million dollars, and the Coast Guard has shown reluctance to spend money on continual upkeep. In 1996, the head of lighthouses for the Coast Guard's 5th District, Lt. Edward Westfall, pondered the wisdom of spending $8,000 on a paint job for the structure. "Before we do that, we want to make sure we're spending the money wisely," he said. "We get into the question of should we maintain something that isn't being used." The Coast Guard contemplated demolition of the light, partly because of the precarious leaning of the 54-foot tower. While Lt. Westfall believed there "is no immediate danger" of the tower tumbling, another Coast Guard official expressed concern that it could possibly fall while personnel were inside.
Leading lighthouse expert F. Ross Holland remarked that Sharps Island is a "nice old lighthouse, but there is nothing special about it or its history." He also stated that its demolition wouldn't be a great loss as there is another coffee-pot-shaped lighthouse nearby at Bloody Point. "If one is to be taken away," Holland reasoned, "there would still be one in existence." His comments could be construed as anathema to the sentiments of many lighthouse enthusiasts, who believe that all lighthouses are worth preserving.
To date, the light has neither been demolished nor fallen on its own. In 2006, the General Services Administration posted a notice that Sharp's Island Lighthouse was "in excess to the needs of the Federal Government." This notice makes the light available to federal or state agencies, non-profits, and historical preservation and educational institutions. If no qualifying entity wants to claim stewardship over the light, it can then be auctioned to private bidders, but it is unlikely that such a precarious, deteriorating structure would attract much interest. The question of stewardship poses a challenge to Maryland State law, which prohibits relocating old lighthouses. A non-profit organization or town would possibly want to move the light, but this might be discouraged by those who insist that lighthouses lose their historical integrity once moved and they still serve as reassuring daymarks. Sharps Island Lighthouse is currently very inaccessible, and it may be better to move it to land where it can be enjoyed by many, rather than having it slowly deteriorate and ultimately settle on the floor of the bay.
In 2006, Sharps Island Lighthouse, deemed excess by the Coast Guard, was offered at no cost to eligible entities, including federal, state, and local agencies, non-profit corporations, and educational organizations. When no qualified owner was found, the General Services Administration (GSA) disposed of the lighthouse via an online auction in 2008. Quite surprisingly, the winning bid, submitted on September 23, was $80,000, a significant amount considering that just a day before the Borden Flats Lighthouse, which is in much better condition, sold for $55,0000. The GSA noted in its Invitation for Bids that the lighthouse was physically inaccessible, the iron plates in the caisson were cracked and corroding, and the wooden floor on the first level was unstable. The new owner, who has been identified as AFB, Inc. of Bear, Delaware, has certainly assumed a huge undertaking but will hopefully be up to the task.