Point No Point Light (Maryland)

Point No Point Light

Undated photograph of Point No Point Light, Maryland (USCG)
Location	off west shore of the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland north of the mouth of the Potomac River
Coordinates	38.128°N 76.29°W / 38.128; -76.29
Tower
Constructed	1905
Foundation	Pneumatic caisson
Construction	Brick
Automated	1938, but remained staffed until 1962
Height	12 m (39 ft)
Shape	Octagonal
Heritage	National Register of Historic Places listed place
Fog signal	Horn, 1 every 30 sec
Light
First lit	1905
Focal height	52 ft (16 m)
Lens	original: fourth order Fresnel lens current: 14.8 inches (375 mm)
Range	9 nautical miles (17 km; 10 mi)
Characteristic	Flashing white 6 sec
Point No Point Light Station
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Nearest city	Dameron, Maryland
Area	less than one acre
Built by	Toomey Brothers, New York
MPS	Light Stations of the United States MPS
NRHP reference No.	02001425
Added to NRHP	December 2, 2002

Point No Point Light, located in the Chesapeake Bay off the eponymous point several miles north of the mouth of the Potomac River, was constructed as part of a program to add lighted navigational aids in a thirty-mile stretch of the bay between Cove and Smith Points.

History

The first request for funds to construct this light came in 1891; funds were not appropriated, however, until 1901. Due to the exposed location a pneumatic caisson base was used. This was constructed in 1902 and towed to the site in April 1903, when it was secured to a temporary pier. As with construction of Baltimore Light, a series of mishaps followed. First, the temporary pier collapsed, breaking off two courses of iron plates from the caisson and releasing it from its mooring. The caisson was retrieved and repaired, and in October of that year was set in place. However, in February 1904 the temporary pier was again destroyed, this time by moving ice. The caisson survived without damage, and the light was first shown on April 24, 1905.

Although the light was automated in 1938, it continued to be staffed until 1962. Renovations were carried out in 1989–2001 in order to arrest deterioration of the now-unoccupied structure. In 2006, like other Maryland lights, it was made available to non-profits or government agencies who would be willing to take over maintenance, and in 2007 the offer was extended to individuals. Public auction of the light was cancelled in February 2008, however, "due to safety requirements of the U.S. Navy."

References

• Point No Point Lighthouse, Maryland from LighthouseFriends.com
• de Gast, Robert (1973). The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 63. ISBN 9780801815485.
• "Point No Point Lighthouse: Online auction". General Services Administration Office of Real Property Disposal. Retrieved 2008-02-21.
• Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project – Point No Point Light

External links

Media related to Point No Point Light (Maryland) at Wikimedia Commons

• Point No Point Light Station, including photo from 2000, at Maryland Historical Trust
• Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Maryland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.