Turkey Point Lighthouse 1915-1920
Photograph courtesy of U.S. Coast Guard
The Turkey Point Lighthouse is a historic lighthouse at the
head of Chesapeake Bay. Although it is only a 35-foot (11 m) tower, the
100-foot height of the bluffs on which it stands makes it the third highest
light off the water in the bay.
Congress appropriated $5,000 for this light in early 1833,
which was built by John Donahoo and completed in July 1833. He followed
essentially the same plan as he had used for the Concord Point Lighthouse. The
light originally used eleven wicks and reflectors, but in 1855 a fourth-order
Fresnel lens with a single lamp was substituted, with the lantern upgraded in
1867 to fit the news lens better. The lighting arrangements were upgraded
several times over the years, with electrification coming in 1942. Its
automation in 1947 brought the retirement of Fannie Salter, the last woman
lighthouse keeper in the United States.
Along with the tower, Donahoo built a keeper's house.
Originally a single story, it was raised to two stories in 1889. The site also
housed an unusual fog bell enclosure, built in 1888. Due to the height of the
bluff, it was decided to put the bell as low to the ground as possible. To
accommodate the weight for the ringing mechanism, a thirty-foot well was dug
and the enclosure placed over them. During World War II a watchtower was placed
atop the bell enclosure. In 1972 the house had greatly decayed and was torn down. In
2000 the light was decommissioned and leased to Turkey Point Light Station
(TPLS) Inc., a non-profit organization which has taken over maintenance of the
structure; the group reactivated the light as a private aid to navigation in
2002.
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