The exhibits at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland, focus on maritime heritage and the natural history of the Chesapeake Bay. On the museum grounds is Drum Point Lighthouse, a cottage-style screw-pile structure that was originally located on the Chesapeake Bay near the mouth of the Patuxent River. The lighthouse was moved to its new home at the museum in 1975. The museum is also the steward for Cove Point Lighthouse, several miles to the northeast. Cove Point Lighthouse was built in 1828 and is the oldest continuously operating lighthouse in the state. The six-bedroom former keepers’ house is available as a vacation rental. Today’s first guest, Kevin Allor, is an exhibits interpreter at the Calvert Marine Museum.
The Barnegat Light Museum in New Jersey is a former schoolhouse that houses exhibits on the history of the town of Barnegat Light, the fishing industry, and Long Beach Island. A highlight is the first-order Fresnel lens that once served in Barnegat Lighthouse. Our second guest today is Karen Larson, president of the Barnegat Light Historical Society.
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U.S. Lighthouse Society Historian Jeremy D’Entremont is the author of 24 books and hundreds of articles on lighthouses and maritime history. He is a past president of the American Lighthouse Foundation and founder of Friends of Portsmouth Harbor Lighthouses, and he has lectured and narrated cruises throughout the Northeast and in other regions. He is also the producer and host of the U.S. Lighthouse Society’s weekly podcast, “Light Hearted.” He can be emailed at Jeremy@uslhs.org