Dotting the shorelines of Maryland and Virginia can be found Chesapeake Bay Lighthouses, a reminder of the innovation that protected the shores of the U. S. Being a major port city and the largest city in the area, Baltimore needed to protect their citizens. The Potomac River leads to the capital city of the country, Washington, and is accessed though this bay. John Donahoo was responsible for building many of the lighthouses on the Potomac River, seven are still in existence and two still function. The U. S. Coast Guard operates them but they are owned locally.
Cape Charles Light Station on Smith Island in Virginia was built in 1828 and destroyed by Confederate forces in 1862. It was rebuilt in 1864 but erosion got to it. In 1894 another tower was built and it was automated in 1963.
One of the oldest lighthouses on the bay, the New and Old Cape Henry Lighthouse Towers in Cape Henry, Virginia, was built in 1792. It memorializes the first settlers to the area. Confederate soldiers destroyed it's lantern, but since it was a strategic beacon a replacement was made in 1863 and a military guard was posted for it's safety. It began to crack in 1872 and was repaired. In 1929 it became the first radio distance station worldwide, it flashes a "U" in Morse code.
In the entrance to the Hampton Roads Harbor in 1872 the Thimble Shoals Lighthouse in Hampton Roads, Virginia was built. One stormy night the lighthouse keepers were huddled next to their coal stove trying to keep warm when a boat crashed through the wall. A tugboat was towing a schooner that became loose, the crash overturned the coal stove igniting oil storage tanks creating an explosion. The lighthouse burned to it's foundation. A new lighthouse was erected in 1914 and in 1964 it was automated.
In 1892 the Newport News Middleground Lighthouse Newport News, Virginia was built, this area is where the largest Naval base in the states resides with hundreds of ships visiting the harbor. It's caisson construction is one of the oldest on the bay. A lighthouse keeper lived in it until 1954 when an automated foghorn was installed to strike every 15 seconds every day of the week from September through June.
The New Point Comfort Lighthouse Mobjack Bay in Matthews, Virginia was erected in 1805 and subsequently attacked by Confederate soldiers. An offshore beacon replaced the station in 1963 and restoration of the tower was done in the 1980's to memorialize the seamen who lost their lives.
In 1883 in just 10 feet of water the Drum Point Lighthouse on the Patuxent River in Maryland was erected. As time went on it was on dry land and the Calvert Country Historical Society acquired it in 1974 moving it up the river to the site of the Calvert Marine Museum.
The historical Chesapeake Bay Lighthouses on the eastern shores of the U. S. Remind us of the vigilance that the men of the country took to keep the shores protected from invasion by the sea. Many of them stand as reminders of days past, some have been restored, and some are actually still working and protecting the eastern seaboard to this day as well as protecting boats from crashing during poor visibility from fog and storm conditions.
Cape Charles Light Station on Smith Island in Virginia was built in 1828 and destroyed by Confederate forces in 1862. It was rebuilt in 1864 but erosion got to it. In 1894 another tower was built and it was automated in 1963.
One of the oldest lighthouses on the bay, the New and Old Cape Henry Lighthouse Towers in Cape Henry, Virginia, was built in 1792. It memorializes the first settlers to the area. Confederate soldiers destroyed it's lantern, but since it was a strategic beacon a replacement was made in 1863 and a military guard was posted for it's safety. It began to crack in 1872 and was repaired. In 1929 it became the first radio distance station worldwide, it flashes a "U" in Morse code.
In the entrance to the Hampton Roads Harbor in 1872 the Thimble Shoals Lighthouse in Hampton Roads, Virginia was built. One stormy night the lighthouse keepers were huddled next to their coal stove trying to keep warm when a boat crashed through the wall. A tugboat was towing a schooner that became loose, the crash overturned the coal stove igniting oil storage tanks creating an explosion. The lighthouse burned to it's foundation. A new lighthouse was erected in 1914 and in 1964 it was automated.
In 1892 the Newport News Middleground Lighthouse Newport News, Virginia was built, this area is where the largest Naval base in the states resides with hundreds of ships visiting the harbor. It's caisson construction is one of the oldest on the bay. A lighthouse keeper lived in it until 1954 when an automated foghorn was installed to strike every 15 seconds every day of the week from September through June.
The New Point Comfort Lighthouse Mobjack Bay in Matthews, Virginia was erected in 1805 and subsequently attacked by Confederate soldiers. An offshore beacon replaced the station in 1963 and restoration of the tower was done in the 1980's to memorialize the seamen who lost their lives.
In 1883 in just 10 feet of water the Drum Point Lighthouse on the Patuxent River in Maryland was erected. As time went on it was on dry land and the Calvert Country Historical Society acquired it in 1974 moving it up the river to the site of the Calvert Marine Museum.
The historical Chesapeake Bay Lighthouses on the eastern shores of the U. S. Remind us of the vigilance that the men of the country took to keep the shores protected from invasion by the sea. Many of them stand as reminders of days past, some have been restored, and some are actually still working and protecting the eastern seaboard to this day as well as protecting boats from crashing during poor visibility from fog and storm conditions.
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