Several lighthouses mark the coasts of Maryland and Virginia. Headlights are used to illuminate dangerous shores and to aid in air navigation. As technology advances, the number of operational headlights has decreased and modern headlights are more functional and less picturesque. Some of the lighthouses in the Mid-Atlantic region have been relocated to coastal museums and remain as tourist attractions. They are architecturally diverse and interesting to visit. As you explore the Chesapeake Bay, Maryland’s East Coast, and Virginia’s East Coast, stop and visit these lighthouses.
Faros of Maryland
Concord Point Lighthouse (Havre De Grace): Built in 1827, it is the second oldest lighthouse in Maryland and the northernmost lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay. Location: Susquehanna River / Chesapeake Bay. Access: Concord and Lafayette Streets, Havre De Grace, MD.
Drum Point Lighthouse – The lighthouse was moved to the Calvert Marine Museum in 1975. It operated at Drum Point at the mouth of the Patuxent River (near Solomons Island) from 1883 to 1962. Location: Calvert Marine Museum access – Route 2 , Solomons, MARYLAND.
Fort Washington Lighthouse – This lighthouse is still operated by the United States Coast Guard. A triangular red marker locates it during daylight hours, while at night the light still flashes red at six-second intervals with 6-mile visibility. Location: Potomac River. Access: Route 210 to Fort Washington Road / Fort Washington Park, MD.
Hooper Sound Lighthouse – The lighthouse was originally built in 1879 to light the way for ships passing through the dangerous and shallow shoals of the Hooper Sound, a route for ships bound from the Chesapeake Bay via Tangier Sound to Deals Island or locations along Nanticoke and Wicomico Rios
It was moved to the Maritime Museum in 1966. Location: Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum. Access: Off Route 33, Main Street, St. Michaels, MD.
Piney Point Lighthouse – Built in 1836, the lighthouse on the Potomac River sits upriver from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The Coast Guard dismantled it in 1964 and it has since been turned into a museum. Location: Potomac River west of Piney Point. Access: Off Piney Point Road / Lighthouse Road, Valley Lee, MD.
Point Lookout Lighthouse – Ubicado en St.
The Mary County Lighthouse marks the entrance to the Potomac River at the southern tip of Maryland’s western shoreline of the Chesapeake Bay. Location: entrance to the Potomac River. Access: Point Lookout State Park / Route 5.
Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse – Dating from 1855 and originally at the mouth of the Patapsco River in the Chesapeake Bay, the lighthouse was relocated to Baltimore’s Inner Harbor in 1988. Location: Baltimore Maritime Museum. Access: Pier 5, Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD.
Turkey Point Lighthouse – The historic light tower is located on a 100-foot cliff overlooking the Elk and North East Rivers on the upper Chesapeake Bay in Cecil County, Maryland.
Location: Elk River Inlet / Chesapeake Bay. Access: Elk Neck State Park / Route 272 (Requires one mile walk).
Virginia Lighthouses
Assateague Lighthouse – Located in the Virginia portion of Assateague Island, ownership of the lighthouse was transferred to the Coast Guard Fish and Wildlife Service in 2004. While the US Coast Guard still operates the light As an active navigational aid, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge is charged with preserving the lighthouse. Location: South End Assateaque Island. Access: Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge / Route 175, Chincoteaque, VA.
Old Cape Henry Lighthouse – Built in 1792, Old Cape Henry was the first federally funded lighthouse, built to guide maritime trade at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay.
Ubicación: South Side Chesapeake Bay Entrance. Acceso: 583 Atlantic Avenue, Fort Story / Off US 60, Virginia Beach, VA.
Jones Point Lighthouse – The lighthouse operated between 1856 and 1926. It was designed as a navigational aid to help ships prevent the displacement of underwater sandbars in the Potomac River and to support the growing maritime economies of Alexandria, Virginia and Washington, DC. Location: Potomac River. Access: Jones Point Park, off US 495, near Woodrow Wilson Bridge, Alexandria, VA.
Old Point Comfort Lighthouse – This light is the second oldest lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay.
It was first lit in 1802 on the grounds of Fort George, the fort that stood there before present-day Fort Monroe. Location: Hampton Roads Harbor Entrance. Access: Fort Monroe / Off Route 64, Hampton, VA.
