Thomas Point Shoal Light

Thomas Point Shoal Light

1999
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Location	off Thomas Point at the mouth of the South River in the Chesapeake Bay
Coordinates	38°53′56″N 76°26′10″W / 38.899°N 76.436°W / 38.899; -76.436Coordinates: 38°53′56″N 76°26′10″W / 38.899°N 76.436°W / 38.899; -76.436
Year first constructed	1875
Year first lit	1875
Automated	1986
Foundation	screw-pile
Construction	cast-iron/wood
Tower shape	Square lantern on hexagonal house
Markings / pattern	White with red roof and black lantern
Focal height	43 feet (13 m)
Original lens	fourth-order Fresnel lens
Current lens	9.8 inches (250 mm) solar-powered lens
Range	White 16 nautical miles (30 km; 18 mi) Red 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi)
Characteristic	Flashing white 5 sec, with two red sectors
Fog signal	Horn: 1 every 15 sec
Admiralty number	J2204
ARLHS number	USA-845
USCG number	2-7760
Thomas Point Shoal Light Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. National Historic Landmark
Location	Kent Island, Chesapeake Bay, Annapolis, Maryland
Area	5 acres (2.0 ha)
Architect	U.S. Lighthouse Service
Architectural style	Screwpile design
NRHP Reference #	75000864
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	February 20, 1975
Designated NHL	January 20, 1999

2-7760

The Thomas Point Shoal Light, also known as Thomas Point Shoal Light Station, is a historic lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay on the east coast of the United States, and the most recognized lighthouse in Maryland. It is the only screw-pile lighthouse in the bay which stands at its original site. The current structure is a 1½ story hexagonal wooden cottage, equipped with a foghorn as well as the light.

A stone lighthouse was constructed in 1825 on shore at Thomas Point by John Donahoo. It was replaced in 1838 by another stone tower. The point was subject to continuing erosion (which would eventually bring down the lighthouse on the point in 1894), and in 1873 Congress appropriated $20,000 for the construction of a screw-pile structure. With an additional $15,000 appropriation in 1875, the light was built and activated in November of that year.

Ice was a perpetual threat to screw-pile lights on the Chesapeake, and in 1877 the original lens was destroyed when it toppled by shaking from ice floes. This lens was replaced, and the additional piles and riprap were placed around the foundation in order to protect it. By 1964 it was the last manned light in the Chesapeake Bay, and it was not automated until 1986. It is currently the last unaltered screwpile cottage-type lighthouse on its original foundation in the Chesapeake Bay.

Concerns for its preservation brought it a National Register of Historic Places listing in 1975 and National Historic Landmark status in 1999.

In 2004, ownership of the lighthouse passed to the city of Annapolis, Maryland, which now maintains the structure in conjunction with Anne Arundel County, Maryland, the Annapolis Maritime Museum, and the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society. The United States Coast Guard continues to maintain the navigational aids.