The Cove Point Light is a

lighthouse A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of physical structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lens (optics), lenses and to serve as a beacon for navigational aid for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways. Ligh ...

located on the west side of

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula, including parts of the Ea ...

Calvert County Calvert County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maryland. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 92,783. Its county seat is Prince Frederick. The county's name is derived from the family name of the Barons of Baltimo ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It borders the states of Virginia to its south, West Virginia to its west, Pennsylvania to its north, and Delaware to its east ...

History

This light was built in 1828 by

John Donahoo John Donahoo (sometimes spelled Donahoe) (c. 1786–1858) was a lighthouse builder active in Maryland for much of the first half of the nineteenth century. Biography Little is known of Donahoo's life, but he appears to have been an active citizen ...

, 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 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 northeas ...

, 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 A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens (optics), lens which reduces the amount of material required compared to a conventional lens by dividing the lens into a set of concentric annular sections. The simpler Dioptrics, d ...

; 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. It was added to the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

in 1973 as Cove Point Lighthouse. 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

in 2000. Since then it has been administered by the

Calvert Marine Museum The Calvert Marine Museum is a maritime museum located in Solomons, Maryland. The museum has three main themes: * regional paleontology, * estuarine life of the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay, * maritime history. Among its exhibits are the ...

, 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.

Notes

References

*
Cove Point Lighthouse
at lighthousefriends.com

from the Chesapeake Chapter of the

United States Lighthouse Society The United States Lighthouse Society (USLHS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding in the restoration of American lighthouses and educating the public about their history. With four chapters, and more than a dozen affiliates, it is one ...

*
Cove Point Lighthouse
at

website
Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Cove Point Light
Cove Point Light USCG 3

External links

*, including photo from 2001, at Maryland Historical Trust {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1828 Lighthouses on the National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Museums in Calvert County, Maryland Lighthouse museums in Maryland Transportation buildings and structures in Calvert County, Maryland National Register of Historic Places in Calvert County, Maryland