The Upper Cedar Point Light was a

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 to begin construction was built by the blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell. Constructi ...

in 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 ...

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 ...

. It was first lit in 1867 and served, except for a brief period of inactivity, until being dismantled in 1963.

History

The station had been served by a

lightvessel A lightvessel, or lightship, is a ship that acts as a lighthouse. It is used in waters that are too deep or otherwise unsuitable for lighthouse construction. Although some records exist of fire beacons being placed on ships in Roman times, the ...

since 1821. In 1867 a small square screw-pile structure was constructed at the site. It served until 1876, when the

Mathias Point Light The Mathias Point Light was a screw-pile lighthouse in the Potomac River in Maryland; the station was located near the Port Tobacco River. It was particularly noted for its ornate woodwork. History Funds for a light near Quantico, Virginia were a ...

was constructed to the east. The Lighthouse Board received numerous complaints, however, and reactivated the light in 1882. Five years after the lighthouse was re-lit, Thomas Edwin Speake was the keeper. It remained active until 1963, when it was dismantled and replaced with a small automatic tower mounted on the original foundation. Upper Cedar Point Light was tended by a black keeper and assistant keeper for a time in the 1870s, one of the few

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, p ...

lighthouses to be so served.

References

Chesapeake Chapter, USLHS page
*

External links

* {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1867 Lighthouses in Maryland Lighthouses in the Chesapeake Bay Buildings and structures demolished in 1963 Transportation buildings and structures in Charles County, Maryland