Great Shoals Light was a screw-pile lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay at the mouth of the Wicomico River.
 | |
| Location | mouth of the Wicomico River in the Chesapeake Bay |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 38°12′51″N 75°52′46″W / 38.2143°N 75.8794°W |
| Tower | |
| Constructed | 1884  |
| Foundation | screw-pile |
| Construction | cast-iron/wood |
| Height | 37 feet (11 m) |
| Shape | square house |
| Light | |
| First lit | 1884 |
| Deactivated | 1966 |
| Focal height | 11 m (36 ft) |
| Lens | fifth-order Fresnel lens |
| Characteristic | Fl W 6s |
History edit
This light was constructed to mark a narrow channel at the entrance to the Wicomico River, as requested by the Maryland General Assembly in 1882. An appropriation was not made until the following year, and further delays pushed the commissioning date to August 1884.
In 1966 the light was dismantled and a modern automated light was erected on the old foundation.
References edit
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maryland" (PDF). United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
- Great Shoals Lighthouse, from the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society
- de Gast, Robert (1973). The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 165. ISBN 9780801815485.
External links edit
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Maryland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
