Fort Washington 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 banks of the

Potomac River The Potomac River () is in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region of the United States and flows from the Potomac Highlands in West Virginia to Chesapeake Bay in Maryland. It is long,U.S. Geological Survey. National Hydrography D ...

on the grounds of its namesake fort. There has been a lighthouse on the location since 1857; the current light was converted from a fog bell tower in 1901.

History

Fort Washington projects into the

where the river turns north, and in 1856

Jefferson Davis Jefferson F. Davis (June 3, 1808December 6, 1889) was an American politician who served as the only President of the Confederate States of America, president of the Confederate States from 1861 to 1865. He represented Mississippi in the Unite ...

, in his capacity of

Secretary of War The secretary of war was a member of the U.S. president's Cabinet, beginning with George Washington's administration. A similar position, called either "Secretary at War" or "Secretary of War", had been appointed to serve the Congress of the ...

, authorized the construction of a lighthouse on the fort property, to be maintained by post personnel. Minimal funds were appropriated, and a temporary cast iron tower was constructed the following year. Almost immediately this light was found inadequate and in 1870 a replacement tower was constructed in Baltimore and erected on a site closer to the water. This tower had a sixth-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 ...

. In 1882 a wooden fog bell tower was erected, and in the following years a keeper's house and various other structures sprang up around the old tower, largely obscuring it. In 1900 a request was made to build a third, taller tower, and as a temporary expedient, a light was added to the fog bell tower, sitting on a platform attached near the top. The replacement light tower was never built, and the converted fog bell tower continues in service. Over the years the 1870 tower, the keeper's house, and the surrounding buildings were all demolished. The tower is readily visible to visitors to the park in which it stands, though it is closed to public access.

Gallery

Image:2017-04-29 02 Fort Washington Lighthouse, Maryland, USA.jpg Image:Modern photo of Fort Washington lighthouse.jpg

References

Fort Washington Lighthouse
- from Lighthousefriends.com * pp. 50–53 *

External links

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{{Authority control Lighthouses completed in 1857 Lighthouses completed in 1882 Lighthouses in Maryland Transportation buildings and structures in Prince George's County, Maryland Lighthouses in the Chesapeake Bay 1857 establishments in Maryland