Category: Timelines

Timeline: North Point Range Lights

Lighthouses

1819: Congress appropriates $9,000 on March 3, for the construction of two lighthouses on North Point and one on Bodkin Point. 1820: Congress appropriates an additional $6,600 on May 15. 1822: Congress appropriates an additional $6,600. 1822: Two stone masonry lighthouses are built on the northern entrance to the Patapsco River to help guide mariners …

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Timeline: Leading Point Lighthouse

1866: Congress appropriates $30,000 on July 28, 1866, to construct two lights to mark Brewerton Channel, on the Patapsco River, Maryland. The front light is to be built on a shoal at Hawkins Point and the rear light is to be built on Leading Point, a total of 1-1/8 mile apart. 1867: On December 16, …

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Timeline: Hawkins Point Lighthouse

1866: Congress appropriates $30,000 on July 28, 1866, to construct two lights to mark Brewerton Channel, on the Patapsco River, Maryland. The front light is to be built on a shoal at Hawkins Point and the rear light is to be built on Leading Point, a total of 1-1/8 mile apart. 1867: Construction begins on …

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Timeline: Jordan Point Lighthouse

Jordan Point Lighthouse-1885/National Archives Photo

1852: Congress appropriates $15,000 for lighthouses to be built at Days Point, Point of Shoals, Deep Water Shoals and Jordan Point along the James River on August 31, 1852. 1853: The site for Jordan Point Lighthouse is selected and estimates and plans are made by Major Bache, which are approved. 1854: Construction begins on Jordan …

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Timeline: Deep Water Shoal Lighthouse

1837: A request is made by Beverly Kennon, Captain of the United States Navy, to construct a lighthouse at three locations along the James River in Virginia; Day’s Point, Point of Shoals and Deep Water & Lyon’s Creek Shoals. 1850: The U. S. Lighthouse Board authorizes $3,500 for preliminary work in the engineering & design …

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Timeline: Craney Island Lighthouse

1857: The Lighthouse Board recommends building a small screwpile lighthouse for a price of $10,000-$12,000 to replace the lightship that had served the station since 1820. 1859: The lightship is replaced by a square wooden structure on a screwpile foundation. 1861: The Confederates remove the lens & destroy the lighthouse. 1862: On June 23, 1862, …

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Timeline: Cherrystone Bar Lighthouse

1853: It is recommended by the Lighthouse Board to construct a small screwpile lighthouse on the shoals or Sandy Point to mark the entrance to Cherrystone Harbor for a price of $10,000. 1854: $10,000 is appropriated by Congress on August 3rd to construct the lighthouse. 1855: An additional request is made by the Lighthouse Board …

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Timeline: Bowlers Rock Lighthouse

1835: Lightship LV “O” is stationed in the Upper Rappahannock River approximately 8-1/2 miles downstream from the town of Tappahannock to mark a rock on the east side of the channel. 1861: Lightship LV “O” is captured by Confederate forces. 1864: Lightship LV-28 is stationed to replace the previous ship that was captured. 1867: The …

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Timeline: Bells Rock Lighthouse

Timeline: 1880:  Congress appropriates $35,000 to construct a lighthouse at Bells Rock on June 16th. 1881: The first lighthouse is completed at Lazaretto Depot in Maryland on November 26, 1880, but instead is used in the rebuilding of the Thimble Shoal Light, which burned down. 1880: Iron work for the second lighthouse is manufactured by …

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Timeline: Back River Lighthouse

Timeline: Back River Lighthouse 1829:   A 30-foot-tall, conical, whitewashed brick lighthouse with ten oil lamps and ten reflectors and one-story keeper’s dwelling is constructed for just under $5,000 by Winslow Lewis between Back River entrance & the Grandview area of Hampton, Virginia. 1855:   Installation of a new revolving machine containing six, twenty-one-inch parabolic reflectors & …

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Timeline: Upper Cedar Point Lighthouse

Timeline: A screwpile lighthouse located on the Potomac River in Maryland 2 miles west of Mathias Point. 1867: A white, square, screwpile lighthouse was constructed to replace lightships. It was equipped with a 5th order Franklin type Fresnel lens and hand operated fog bell. 1867: Keeper James Treakle complained that the boat was too large …

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Timeline: Windmill Point Lighthouse

(Located at the end of a long shoal on the north side of the entrance to the Rappahannock River, VA – 03/31/18) 1834 First Lightship at location. 1869 Last lightship on site. White hexagonal cottage screw pile built at Lazaretto Depot in Baltimore. Towed on two schooners to site 120 miles south. Fitted with 5th-order …

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Timeline: Old Plantation Flats Lighthouse

(Located on a shoal off the mouth of Old Plantation Creek near the start of the channel leading to the town of Cape Charles, VA – 03-31-18) 1886 White rectangular cottage built on a combination of screw piles and concrete pilons. Fitted with 4th-order Fresnel lens. 1894 Charles Edwin Respess serves as keeper. 1896 Lighthouse …

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Timeline: Craighill Channel Lower Range Front Light

(Also known as Craighill Light [Channel named after William Craighill of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and member of the Lighthouse Board] and North Point Range Light. Located off shore, two miles east/southeast of North Point – updated 5/27/2020 1870: Major dredging and enlarging of the channel. 1873: Construction of caisson crib at Havre …

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Timeline: Craighill Channel Lower Range Rear

Craighill Channel Lower Range Rear LighthouseTimeline (Also known as Miller’s Island Lighthouse. Located off-shore, east of Ramona Beach, three miles northeast of Fort Howard– 07/20/14) 1870 Major dredging and enlarging of channel. 1873 60-foot square cofferdam built around site in two feet of water. Foundation piles driven into muddy bottom. Topped with lattice of timbers. …

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Timeline: Choptank River Lighthouse

Choptank Replica

Choptank River Lighthouse (Replica) Timeline (Located at the end of Pier A – Long Wharf Park – Water and High Streets, Cambridge, MD) (08/03/13) 1870 Lightship Choptank River – 41-ton wooden schooner stationed at site while screwpile under construction. 1871 Hexagonal screwpile lighthouse built at Lazaretto Depot, Baltimore, MD , moved by barge and stationed …

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Timeline: Stingray Point Lighthouse

Stingray Point Lighthouse (Replica) Timeline (Located at Stingray Point Marina, Deltaville, VA – off VA Route 33 – 1.8 miles west of the original site on the Chesapeake Bay – 02/24/14) 1858 Original one story hexagonal three-room wood screwpile built on a shoal between the Rappahannock and Piankatank Rivers. 1/1/1859 Fixed white light lit from …

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Timeline: Lazaretto Point Lighthouse (Replica)*

Lazaretto Point Lighthouse Timeline (Located at pier at Lehigh Cement Corporation – at entrance to Baltimore Harbor – eastern end of I-95 bridge over the Patapsco River – 07/19/14) 1831 Original 31 foot tall brick tower and keepers house built by John Donahoo on grounds of closed smallpox hospital known as Lazaretto Point. Fitted with …

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Timeline: Fort Carroll Lighthouse

Fort Carroll Lighthouse Timeline (Located on Fort Carroll Island in the middle of the Patapsco River– southwest of Key Bridge – 07/20/14) 1848 Brevet-colonel Robert E. Lee of the Army Corps of Engineers selected to supervise construction of fortress on man-made island.. 1850 Island named after Charles Carroll – last living signer of the Declaration …

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Timeline: Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Lighthouse

Craighill Channel Upper Range (Cut-Off Channel) Rear Lighthouse Timeline (Located on mainland – head of Old Road Bay. On Wharf Road at Sparrows Point Bethlehem Steel Plant -07/21/14) 1886 70-foot white square corrugated ironclad light supported by pyramidal iron framework built on brick foundation .Fitted with 4th-order locomotive light. Six-room wood and brick cottage-style keeper’s …

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Timeline: Craighill Upper Range Front Light

Craighill Channel Upper Range Front (Cut-off Channel) Lighthouse Timeline (Located within 350 feet off North Point; 1.3 miles southeast of the Upper Rear light, on the north side of the mouth of Patapsco River, near Fort Howard, just off Veterans Administration property – 07/21/14) 1886 22 foot tall, two story octagonal brick tower built on the …

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Timeline: Chesapeake Lightship

(Located – Pier 3, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD. Moored next to National Aquarium. Lightship designations: LV116 / LS116/ WAL538/WLV538 – revised 04/29/13) 1930 Built and placed in service with the US Lighthouse Service in Charleston, SC. 133 feet long w/30 foot beam and a 375mm electric lens fitted on each masthead. First Light Station assignment …

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Timeline: Portsmouth Lightship

(Located at the foot of London and Water Streets, Portsmouth, VA. Lightship designations: LV101/WAL524 – 04/28/2013) 1915 Built at Wilmington, DE. 102 feet long, 25 foot beam, 360 ton displacement. Fitted with 500mm lens with six flash panels and kerosene lamp. 1916 Stationed at Smith Island Shoals, Cape Charles, VA. Known as Charles. 1917 Illuminant …

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Timeline: Old Point Comfort Lighthouse

(Located on East Mellen Street, in front of Fort Monroe, facing the Chesapeake Bay, north side of the entrance to Hampton Roads, VA – Revised – 04/26/13) 1802/1803 54 foot octagonal cut-stone tower built by Elzy Burroughs – 2nd oldest lighthouse on the Bay; location- Fort George. 1812 British troops capture Fort George and use …

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Timeline: Wolf Trap Lighthouse

(Located three miles offshore, between the York & entrance to Rappahannock Rivers, Mathews County, VA – 03-14-18) 1821 Lightship stationed on Wolf Trap Shoal. 1861 Confederate troops destroy lightship. 1864 Lightship station re-established. 1870 Screw pile lighthouse built on shoal. 1893 Lighthouse destroyed by ice floes and swept 20 miles down the bay, settling near …

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Timeline: Thimble Shoal Lighthouse

(Located 3.5 miles east of Old Point Comfort, at the mouth of James River, Hampton Roads, VA – Updated 5/27/2020) 1821: Lightship stationed near Thimble Shoal. 1872: First lighthouse, a screwpile, erected. 10/30/1880: Screwpile cottage destroyed by fire. Foundation survives. 12/24/1880: Screwpile cottage, destined for Bells Rock, VA installed instead on existing ironwork. 2nd fog …

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Timeline: Smith Point Lighthouse

(Located 80 miles south of Baltimore on the Virginia side of the entrance of the Potomac River, 2.5 miles east-southeast of Smith Point) 1802-93 Two land-based lighthouses, two lightships and one screwpile in service. 1893 Screwpile damaged by ice. Keepers abandon station. 1895 Screwpile carried away by ice. 1897 Present 52 foot tall caisson light …

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Timeline: Newport News Middle Ground Lighthouse

(Located at the confluence of the James River and the Chesapeake Bay, Hampton Roads, Newport News, VA. Oldest caisson lighthouse in Virginia. Updated 5/27/2020) 1891: 56-foot tall caisson with tower and cast-iron lantern built on L-shaped Middle Ground shoal. Five levels with basement in the top of the caisson. Fitted with 4th-order Fresnel lens and …

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Timeline: New Point Comfort Lighthouse

(Located at the entrance of Mobjack Bay, 21 miles north of Old Point Comfort, in Mathews County, VA. Visible from observation platform /walkway at VA Nature Conservancy’s New Point Comfort Preserve, Bavon, VA – Updated 5/27/2020 1804: 58-foot octagonal cut-stone tower, 3rd oldest lighthouse on the Bay built by the first keeper, Elzy Burroughs. 1865: …

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Timeline: Jones Point Lighthouse

(Located one mile south of Alexandria, VA – on west bank of Potomac River, Jones Point Park, just south of the Woodrow Wilson Bridge) (Revised-04/18/13) 1856 Present white wooden frame dwelling with integral roof-mounted black lantern constructed by Charles Church. Illumination by whale oil lamps in 5th –order Fresnel lens. 1858 Light fueled by newly …

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