Cove Point Light
Encyclopedia
The Cove Point Light is a lighthouse
located on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay
.
, who erected a brick conical tower along the plan he had used at several other sites in the Bay. In 1825 Congress had allocated funds to build a light at Cedar Point, four miles south at the mouth of the Patuxent River
, but further consideration led to a decision to mark Cove Point and the shoal which jutted into the bay. A new appropriation in 1828 allowed construction of the light and keeper's house in the same year.
The original Argand lamps were replaced in 1855 with a fifth-order Fresnel lens
; this in turn was upgraded to a fourth-order lens in 1857. A fog bell added in 1837 was moved several times and was mounted on both wood and iron towers before ending up on the roof of a wooden shed built in 1902 to house a foghorn. The foghorn equipment was moved in 1950 to a separate brick building, but the fog bell remains on the shed. Erosion was a significant problem, but was eventually brought under control through a seawall initially constructed in 1892 and upgraded in 1913 and 1993.
The keeper's house was enlarged in 1881 when it was converted to a duplex with housing for two keepers and their families. and again in 1925 when inside kitchens were installed. In 1950 a separate small house was built as home to a third keeper and his family. The keepers remained until 1986 when the light was finally automated. The light was in good condition, with much equipment remaining from prior years, when it was turned over to Calvert County
in 2000. Since then it has been administered by the Calvert Marine Museum
, which allows access to the light and grounds in the summer months.
Cove Point remains an active aid to navigation and is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
located on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
.
History
This light was built in 1828 by John DonahooJohn Donahoo
John Donahoo was a lighthouse builder active in Maryland for much of the first half of the nineteenth century....
, who erected a brick conical tower along the plan he had used at several other sites in the Bay. In 1825 Congress had allocated funds to build a light at Cedar Point, four miles south at the mouth of the Patuxent River
Patuxent River
The Patuxent River is a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay in the state of Maryland. There are three main river drainages for central Maryland: the Potomac River to the west passing through Washington D.C., the Patapsco River to the northeast passing through Baltimore, and the Patuxent River between...
, but further consideration led to a decision to mark Cove Point and the shoal which jutted into the bay. A new appropriation in 1828 allowed construction of the light and keeper's house in the same year.
The original Argand lamps were replaced in 1855 with a fifth-order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
; this in turn was upgraded to a fourth-order lens in 1857. A fog bell added in 1837 was moved several times and was mounted on both wood and iron towers before ending up on the roof of a wooden shed built in 1902 to house a foghorn. The foghorn equipment was moved in 1950 to a separate brick building, but the fog bell remains on the shed. Erosion was a significant problem, but was eventually brought under control through a seawall initially constructed in 1892 and upgraded in 1913 and 1993.
The keeper's house was enlarged in 1881 when it was converted to a duplex with housing for two keepers and their families. and again in 1925 when inside kitchens were installed. In 1950 a separate small house was built as home to a third keeper and his family. The keepers remained until 1986 when the light was finally automated. The light was in good condition, with much equipment remaining from prior years, when it was turned over to Calvert County
Calvert County, Maryland
Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. It occupies the Calvert Peninsula which is bordered on the east by the Chesapeake Bay and on the west by the Patuxent River. Calvert County is part of the Southern Maryland region. Calvert County's residents are among the highest...
in 2000. Since then it has been administered by the Calvert Marine Museum
Calvert Marine Museum
The Calvert Marine Museum is a maritime museum, founded in 1970, located in Solomons, Maryland. Among its exhibits are the Drum Point Light and the bugeye Wm. B. Tennison, the latter a National Historic Landmark. It also houses artifacts from the old Cedar Point Light, and maintains the Drum...
, which allows access to the light and grounds in the summer months.
Cove Point remains an active aid to navigation and is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay.
External links
- Cove Point Lighthouse at Calvert Marine MuseumCalvert Marine MuseumThe Calvert Marine Museum is a maritime museum, founded in 1970, located in Solomons, Maryland. Among its exhibits are the Drum Point Light and the bugeye Wm. B. Tennison, the latter a National Historic Landmark. It also houses artifacts from the old Cedar Point Light, and maintains the Drum...
website - Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Cove Point Light