Lower Cedar Point Light

Lower Cedar Point Light
Location in the center of the Potomac River 1.5 mi south of the Harry W. Nice (US 301) Bridge
Coordinates 38°20′24″N 76°59′35″W / 38.340°N 76.993°W / 38.340; -76.993Coordinates: 38°20′24″N 76°59′35″W / 38.340°N 76.993°W / 38.340; -76.993
Year first lit 1867
Deactivated 1951
Foundation screw-pile
Construction cast-iron/wood
Tower shape square house
Original lens fourth-order Fresnel lens

The Lower Cedar Point Light was a historic lighthouse in the Potomac River near its eponymous point, south of the present U.S. Route 301 bridge. It has been replaced by a skeleton tower.

History

Lightships were stationed at this location beginning in 1825. In 1861, during the Civil War, the lightship at the station was burned by Confederate forces.

A screw-pile lighthouse was constructed on the spot in 1867. This light burned on Christmas Day in 1893 and was rebuilt in 1896. In 1951 the house was removed and a skeleton tower erected on the old foundation.

References

  • "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maryland". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
  • Lower Cedar Point Lighthouse, from the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society
  • de Gast, Robert (1973). The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 156.
  • Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Maryland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.