Lighthouses have always had to contend with assaults from nature that often begin before the lights have even been completed. In the heyday of lighthouses, these dangers were normally from nature, such as wind, waves, fire and ice. Engineers tried to mitigate these known risks and lighthouses were often on the cutting edge of technology. As lighthouses aged and new technologies were introduced the lighthouses were perceived as less important and some contend they are obsolete. As a result, the dangers from neglect and vandalism have become more prevalent, while the assaults from nature have not abated. The history of one lighthouse illustrates these changes. Here is a story of the first and most recent assaults on the last remaining active screwpile lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay.
Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse was first lit in November of 1875, and it was not long before it faced its first real test. January of 1877 was an abnormally cold winter, and as a result the new lighthouse would be subjected to one of the dangers to which screwpile lighthouses were vulnerable – ice. Engineers had known about the occasional icing in the Bay and were confident that the screwpile structure could withstand the semi-regularly occurring phenomenon. However, they would be surprised by what this inaugural storm for the small cottage-style lighthouse had in store. Thomas Point was faced with danger that today would seem a little unusual for those now living on the Chesapeake. As recounted in the Baltimore Sun on Saturday, January 20, 1877:
“Thomas’s Point Lighthouse in Trouble – The screw-pile lighthouse, 45 feet in height, on Thomas’s Point shoals, in the Chesapeake, one mile from the shore, was abandoned by the keepers on Thursday. The tenants were Mr. Burchinal, the keeper; Capt. Miller, his assistant, wife and son. Mr. Burchinal reported to the lighthouse engineer’s office at Baltimore that for nine days the heavy drift ice had plunged against the lighthouse, causing it to vibrate with such violence that the lens, weighing 500 pounds, was broken, the oil butts were overturned, and the structure canted to such an extent that the fog bell could not be rung, and the other machinery was all disarranged. On Wednesday night no other light could be shown except one in the window, and next day it was decided to abandon the lighthouse and use the old one on the shore, about a mile distant, and which was lit on Thursday night. By means of a small boat and by cutting a way through the ice all hands were safely landed.
The keepers say that for the nine days the vibration of the lighthouse was so violent that sleep was impossible except at very short intervals when the ice ceased running. The stove was lashed down. The revolving light in the lantern was whirled about with a rapidity that could not be controlled. Huge blocks of ice 14 inches thick were hurled and broken against the ice brakers at the base, but some of the fields were several feet thick and were precipitated against the piling with a force that was well-nigh resistless. One of the iron perpendicular supports of the lighthouse was broken or bent and the tower when left was leaning.
The lighthouse was completed last October, and is considered one of the most substantial that can be built. No fears are entertained by the engineers for its safety, as they believe it cannot be moved from its position, but the news that the running ice has succeeded in disarranging and breaking the machinery so that the light could not be shown was unexpected by the lighthouse authorities. Col. Harwood, engineer of the department, will take immediate steps to examine the structure, ascertain the trouble, and have the lantern relit at the earliest practicable moment. Meanwhile a light will be shown from the old lighthouse on Thomas’s Point. The Chesapeake lighthouses are enduring a severer test from the ice-fields than perhaps ever before.”
That same winter Hooper Strait Lighthouse, another screwpile in the Chesapeake, was carried away by ice. The Thomas Point Light was quickly repaired and returned to service by late January according to further articles in the Baltimore Sun.
Today, nearly 150 years after that winter, the problems tend to be on the other end of the temperature scale. The dangers from ice floes, while not gone entirely, seem less prevalent than the dangers associated with a warming ocean and the storms that come with it. Just before Thomas Point was awarded to the consortium formed by the United States Lighthouse Society and its partners, the lower platform was destroyed by the remnants of hurricane Isabel as she came up the bay as a tropical storm. The Coast Guard replaced the lower working deck with a much sturdier version. In order to enable tours to be conducted, the Lighthouse Society had to have a bigger dock than that used by the Coast Guard, which was at times difficult to navigate due to the strong currents around the structure.
That dock, built to facilitate the boats giving tours of the lighthouse washed away during tropical storm Debby in August of 2024. Remnants drifted over seven miles across the Bay. Anyone who came across it would see a dock carrying what appeared to be a coyote. That would be “Drew,” our very successful decoy (a.k.a.) bird deterrent. Drew was rescued from his raft, never having left his post.
A temporary dock was quickly built so tours could continue. A new dock will be constructed next year using grants and donations from individuals. This new dock will take into account the new sea level expectations and will hopefully help address one of the major threats to this National Historic Landmark.
This story appeared in the
Nov/Dec 2024 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.
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