Sharkfin Shoal Light
Encyclopedia
The Sharkfin Shoal Light was a screw-pile lighthouse
located at the mouth of the Nanticoke River
in the Chesapeake Bay
.
to the northeast. In 1964 the house was dismantled and a skeleton tower light placed on the foundation.
Screw-pile lighthouse
A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse was built by blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell...
located at the mouth of the Nanticoke River
Nanticoke River
The Nanticoke River is a major tributary of the Chesapeake Bay on the Delmarva Peninsula. It rises in southern Kent County, Delaware, flows through Sussex County, Delaware, and forms the boundary between Dorchester County, Maryland and Wicomico County, Maryland. The river course proceeds southwest...
in 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 constructed in 1892 to replace the Clay Island LightClay Island Light
The Clay Island Light was a historic lighthouse located on Clay Island at the mouth of the Nanticoke River on the Chesapeake Bay. Constructed in 1832, it continued to serve the area until 1892, when it was replaced by the Sharkfin Shoal Light...
to the northeast. In 1964 the house was dismantled and a skeleton tower light placed on the foundation.