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Photo by John Hartman[/caption]
Cove Point Lighthouse, built in 1828, sits on a seven-acre point of land in one of the narrowest sections of the Chesapeake Bay in Lusby, MD. Originally a lighthouse was to be built at Cedar Point, six miles to the south. However it soon became clear that a light at Cove Point was necessary to mark the shoal that extends outwards toward the shipping channel. So on February 12, 1828, Congress appropriated $5685 to erect a lighthouse at Cove Point. Legendary lighthouse builder John Donahoo was awarded the construction contract. Donahoo was well known in the Chesapeake region and built a dozen lighthouses in Maryland and Virginia (including Thomas Point Light), seven of which still stand today.
The lighthouse tower is elevated “40 feet above the tide” and made in the shape of a truncated cone (a popular design with Donahoo). The keeper’s house was originally one and half stories with an attached kitchen and a cistern for storing rainwater in the cellar. Both the house and the tower were made of locally sourced brick. In 1883 a second story was added to the house.
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The Keeper's Dwelling, lighthouse, and fog bell tower (L to R) in 1828. Photo courtesy U.S. Coast Guard[/caption]
The light first shown in December 1828 under the care of keeper James Somerville. He was selected from a pool of 11 applicants and paid $350 a year. A Fresnel lens was not installed until 1855, so Somerville had his work cut out for him. The tower was originally lit by 13 oil lamps and parabolic reflectors. This entailed diligent trimming of the lamp wicks so as not to cause extra smoke and the daily task of hauling fuel up the spiral staircase four to six times per day.
On June 21, 1855, a fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed, which required only a single lamp. The light was upgraded to a fourth-order Fresnel lens in 1857 which produced a fixed white light varied by flashes. Funds for a fog bell were appropriated in 1837, but there were continuous structural difficulties with the original wooden tower, which had to be moved due to erosion in 1892. In 1898 it was replaced with a 31-foot tall iron fog bell tower. But after only three years, this structure too became obsolete. In 1928 the station was converted from kerosene to electricity, making the beacon visible for 12 nautical miles.
The era of the Cove Point lighthouse keepers ended in 1986 when the station became fully automated. The new equipment included an automated lamp-changer in the lantern and a computer to monitor operations. The beacon is now controlled from a post in Baltimore and can be seen for about 20 nautical miles.
In 2000, the station was transferred from the U.S. Coast Guard to Calvert County. Since then, the Calvert Marine Museum has been instrumental in restoring the station and making it available for public tours. The lighthouse grounds and Visitor Center are open to the public from 1 to 4 p.m. every day, June through August, and on weekends and holidays in May and September.
The keeper’s dwelling is even available for rent, so start planning your next vacation.
