The Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society has done an amazing job restoring both the exterior and interior of Thomas Point Shoal Light Station, the last intact screwpile lighthouse that remains in its original location in the Chesapeake Bay not far from Annapolis. Visitors can enjoy tours of this landmark structure during the summer and fall.
Bob Stevenson, the Chapter’s education coordinator, recently shared these wonderful photos of the restored interior. The kitchen and sitting room reflect the period when the lighthouse was administered by the U.S. Light-House Board around the turn of the 20th century, and the office shows the period after the U.S. Coast Guard took over in 1939.
In 2017, tours of the lighthouse will be offered at 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 noon on June 10, July 1, July 15, July 29, August 5, August 19, September 2, September 9, September 30, and October 7.
Visitors should contact the U.S. Lighthouse Society for reservations. (Society members get a $10 discount.) These are “adventure tours” requiring agility and safe footwear. A mandatory safety video explains all this. See http://uslhs.org/about/thomas-point-shoal-lighthouse/tours for more information on reserving your tour and to learn more about the history of the light station.
Submitted by Candace Clifford with photos and tour details from Bob Stevenson, March 11, 2017.
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U.S. Lighthouse Society News is produced by the U.S. Lighthouse Society to support lighthouse preservation, history, education and research. Please consider joining the U.S. Lighthouse Society if you are not already a member. If you have items of interest to the lighthouse community and its supporters, please email them to candace@uslhs.org.
Candace was the US Lighthouse Society historian from 2016 until she passed away in August 2018. For 30 years, her work involved lighthouse history. She worked with the National Park Service and the Council of American Maritime Museums. She was a noted author and was considered the most knowledgable person on lighthouse information at the National Archives. Books by Candace Clifford include: Women who Kept the Lights: a History of Thirty-eight Female Lighthouse Keepers , Mind the Light Katie, and Maine Lighthouses, Documentation of their Past.