Lower Cedar Point Light

Not to be confused withCedar Point Light (Maryland).

Lower Cedar Point Light

Location	in the center of thePotomac River1.5 mi south of theHarry W. Nice (US 301) Bridge
Coordinates	38.340°N 76.993°W/38.340; -76.993
Tower
Foundation	screw-pile
Construction	cast-iron/wood
Shape	square house
Light
First lit	1867
Deactivated	1951
Focal height	11.5 m (38 ft)
Lens	fourth-orderFresnel lens
Characteristic	Fl G 2.5s

TheLower Cedar Point Lightwas a historiclighthousein thePotomac Rivernear its eponymous point, south of the presentGovernor Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge,which carriesU.S. Route 301betweenMarylandandVirginia.It has been replaced by askeleton tower.

History

Lightships were stationed at this location beginning in 1825. In 1861, during theCivil War,the lightship at the station was burned byConfederateforces.

Ascrew-pile lighthousewas constructed on the spot in 1867. This light burned onChristmas Dayin 1893 and was rebuilt in 1896. In 1951 the house was removed and a skeleton tower erected on the old foundation.

References

• "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maryland"(PDF).United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
• Lower Cedar Point Lighthouse,from the Chesapeake Chapter of theUnited States Lighthouse Society
• de Gast, Robert (1973).The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake.Johns Hopkins University Press. p.156.ISBN9780801815485.

External links

• Rowlett, Russ."Lighthouses of the United States: Maryland".The Lighthouse Directory.University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.