Lighthouses on Eastern Shore of Maryland

lighthouses eastern shore maryland

Lighthouses on Eastern Shore of Maryland

In 1853, the first lighthouse on Eastern Shore, now a museum, was stationed on Watts Island. It was replaced in 1867 by a screwpile lighthouse, which also had a keeper’s house. In 1879, a winter storm wiped out the old lighthouse. A new one was built in 1935, and the tower was replaced by a skeleton on a caisson base.

Another one of the historic lighthouses in Maryland is the Cape Charles Lighthouse, which marks the northern entrance to the Chesapeake Bay. The original lighthouse was constructed in 1828, but was destroyed during the Civil War. A brick replacement was erected in 1864, but the keeper’s quarters and lens were destroyed by an electrical fire. In 1960, the keeper’s quarters and lens of the lighthouse were removed and the lighthouse was automated.

The Cape Charles Light Station, in Crisfield, Maryland, needs general repairs. But its time will come when it will be moved to a new site and a new tower will replace the old one. The existing lighthouse will be relocated approximately 3/4 mile from its present location. Nevertheless, the existing one is under threat from the sea line. A new tower will be built and the requisite drawings will be made. Earlier, there was another lighthouse in the same area, which was eventually abandoned and was gradually eroded by nature.

The Assateague Lighthouse is a historic structure built in 1870 to replace a lightship. Today, it’s the highest light off the water in Chesapeake Bay. In addition to the Assateague Light, the Seven Foot Knoll Light was the oldest screw-pile in the Eastern Shore. The oldest remaining structure is the Pooles Island Light. The tallest extant tower is the Craighill Channel Lower Range Rear.