John Donahoo
Encyclopedia
John Donahoo (1786–1858) was a lighthouse
builder active in Maryland
for much of the first half of the nineteenth century.
Little is known of Donahoo's life, but he appears to have been an active citizen in Havre de Grace, Maryland
, for much of his career; he was an election judge and town commissioner, and served on the school board. He was also an active businessman, with concerns in fishing and real estate. As a builder, Donahoo attracted the attention of Stephen Pleasonton, Fifth Auditor of the United States Treasury and overseer of lighthouse construction for the government; Donahoo's prices were low and the quality of his work was good. Consequently, he was awarded the contracts for a dozen lighthouses in Maryland and Virginia
. Seven of these still stand:
He also constructed the following lighthouses:
Donahoo died in 1858, and was buried in Havre de Grace's Angel Hill Cemetery.
Lighthouse
A lighthouse is a tower, building, or other type of structure designed to emit light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire, and used as an aid to navigation for maritime pilots at sea or on inland waterways....
builder active in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
for much of the first half of the nineteenth century.
Little is known of Donahoo's life, but he appears to have been an active citizen in Havre de Grace, Maryland
Havre de Grace, Maryland
Havre de Grace is a city in Harford County, Maryland, United States. Located at the mouth of the Susquehanna River and the head of the Chesapeake Bay, Havre de Grace is named after the port city of Le Havre, France, which was first named Le Havre de Grâce, meaning in French "Harbor of Grace." As...
, for much of his career; he was an election judge and town commissioner, and served on the school board. He was also an active businessman, with concerns in fishing and real estate. As a builder, Donahoo attracted the attention of Stephen Pleasonton, Fifth Auditor of the United States Treasury and overseer of lighthouse construction for the government; Donahoo's prices were low and the quality of his work was good. Consequently, he was awarded the contracts for a dozen lighthouses in Maryland and Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
. Seven of these still stand:
- Pooles Island LightPooles Island LightPooles Island Light is the oldest lighthouse still standing in Maryland and the fourth oldest in the Chesapeake Bay area.-History:Pooles Island was originally named Powell's Island by John Smith, but over the years the name was changed, possibly to reflect the numerous springs and pools on the island...
(1825) - Concord Point LightConcord Point LightConcord Point Light is a lighthouse in Havre de Grace, Maryland, overlooking the point where the Susquehanna River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, an area of increasing navigational traffic at the time it was constructed in 1827. It was built by John Donahoo who built many lighthouses in Maryland...
(1827) - Cove Point LightCove Point LightThe Cove Point Light is a lighthouse located on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay.-History:This light was built in 1828 by John Donahoo, who erected a brick conical tower along the plan he had used at several other sites in the Bay...
(1828) - Point Lookout LightPoint Lookout LightPoint Lookout Light is a lighthouse that marks the entrance to the Potomac River, in the town of Scotland, Saint Mary's County, Maryland, at the southern-most tip of the western shore of the Chesapeake Bay...
(1830) - Turkey Point LightTurkey Point LightThe Turkey Point Light is a historic lighthouse at the head of the Chesapeake Bay on the east coast of the United States. Though it appears a short tower, the 100 ft height of the bluffs on which it stands makes it the third highest light off the water in the bay...
(1833) - Piney Point LightPiney Point LightThe Piney Point Light was built in 1836 located at Piney Point on the Potomac River in Maryland just up the river from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The Coast Guard decommissioned it in 1964 and it has since become a museum...
(1836) - Fishing Battery LightFishing Battery LightFishing Battery Light was the last lighthouse constructed in Maryland by John Donahoo. While still standing, it has been supplanted by a steel tower which stands adjacent to it.-History:...
(1853)
He also constructed the following lighthouses:
- Thomas Point LightThomas Point Shoal LightThe Thomas Point Shoal Light, also known as Thomas Point Shoal Light Station, is a historic lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay on the east coast of the United States, and the most recognized lighthouse in Maryland. It is the only screw-pile lighthouse in the bay which stands at its original site...
(1825, replaced by a second stone tower in 1838) - Fog Point LightFog Point LightThe Fog Point Light was a historic lighthouse located at Fog Point, the northwestern tip of Smith Island, Maryland in the Chesapeake Bay.-History:...
(1827, superseded by the Solomons Lump LightSolomons Lump LightSolomons Lump Light is a lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay, the abbreviated remains of a caisson light built in 1895. That structure replaced a screw-pile light built on the same spot in 1875, which in turn superseded the Fog Point Light.-History:...
in 1875) - Lazaretto Point LightLazaretto Point LightThe Lazaretto Point Light was a historic lighthouse in Baltimore harbor. Though long demolished, a replica stands near its original site.-History:...
(1831, demolished in 1926; replica built on original site in 1985) - Clay Island LightClay Island LightThe Clay Island Light was a historic lighthouse located on Clay Island at the mouth of the Nanticoke River on the Chesapeake Bay. Constructed in 1832, it continued to serve the area until 1892, when it was replaced by the Sharkfin Shoal Light...
(1832, collapsed in 1894 after deactivation) - Watts Island LightWatts Island LightThe Watts Island Light was a historic lighthouse located near Watts Island in the Chesapeake Bay. It was the only lighthouse built by John Donahoo outside of Maryland.-History:...
(1833, destroyed in a storm in 1944) - this was his only light built outside of Maryland - Blakistone Island LightBlakistone Island LightThe Blakistone Island Light was a lighthouse located on what is now St. Clement's Island on the Potomac River in Maryland. It is best known as the target of a Confederate raid in the Civil War.-History:...
(1851, destroyed by fire in 1956)
Donahoo died in 1858, and was buried in Havre de Grace's Angel Hill Cemetery.