Fog Point Lighthouse was constructed in 1827 on the northwestern tip of Smith Island, the Chesapeake Bay off Crisfield by John Donahoo at a price of $3,500. It was used to mark the narrow passage north of Smith Island through Kedges Strait.
The lighthouse was a one and one-half story saltbox style white house with an integral stone tower through the roof with the lantern on top of the roof. It was fitted with 10 lamps with 16-inch reflectors. On August 18, 1855, the lighthouse was fitted with a fifth-order Fresnel lens.
A Lighthouse Board report dated 1872 noted that “has served to mark the entrance to Kedges Strait for a long time, is of little value as compared with other positions that could have been selected for a screw-pile structure.” In 1874, Congress appropriated $15,000 to construct a lighthouse, Solomon’s Lump, between Tangier Sound and the Chesapeake Bay, Virginia to replace Fog Point Lighthouse.
Upon completion of the new Solomon’s Lump Lighthouse, Fog Point Lighthouse was decommissioned on September 10, 1875. Fog Point was abandoned and no trace of it survives today. No photo is available.
Head Keepers:
John M. White (1828 – 1844), Mathias D. Wainwright (1844 – 1849), John L. Tyler (1849 – 1852), Daniel B. Hall (1852 – 1853), Charles Fontain (1853), Daniel B. Hall (1853 – 1858), Ephraim Tyler (1858 – 1875), Richard Evans (1827-1828), William Evans (1841-1843), John M. White (1843-1844).
(Updated 4/19/2020)
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GPS: [38.0299,-76.0417]
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