Piney Point Light
Encyclopedia
The 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. It is known as the Lighthouse of Presidents because several early US Presidents visited or stayed on the grounds.
and had a range of 10 miles (16.1 km). The lamp was replaced in 1855 with a Fresnel lens
upgrading the range to 11 miles (17.7 km).
A bell tower was added in 1880 and was in service until 1954 when Hurricane Hazel
damaged it beyond repair.
The federal government deeded the property to St. Mary's County in 1980 and in 1990 the Museum Division of St. Mary’s County Department of Recreation and Parks began to renovate the grounds.
Exhibits at the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum focus on the lighthouse, the United States Coast Guard
, the Piney Point area, and the story of the Black Panther U-1105
German submarine sunk in the Potomac that now serves as a shipwreck dive preserve.
The Potomac River Maritime Exhibit displays four historic wooden vessels in a separate building.
Visitors can climb the lighthouse tower when the museum is open for operation.
The nearby Piney Point Elementary School in Tall Timbers, Maryland is named after the lighthouse.
Piney Point, Maryland
Piney Point is an unincorporated community in St. Mary's County, Maryland, United States. It is known for the Paul Hall Center for Maritime Training and Education, a popular seafood restaurant, beautiful houses along the beach, a lighthouse, and a "Museum." The Piney Point post office also...
on the Potomac River
Potomac River
The Potomac River flows into the Chesapeake Bay, located along the mid-Atlantic coast of the United States. The river is approximately long, with a drainage area of about 14,700 square miles...
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...
just up the river from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. The Coast Guard decommissioned it in 1964 and it has since become a museum. It is known as the Lighthouse of Presidents because several early US Presidents visited or stayed on the grounds.
History
Congress appropriated $5000 to build the lighthouse in 1836. The lighthouse was built by John DonahooJohn Donahoo
John Donahoo was a lighthouse builder active in Maryland for much of the first half of the nineteenth century....
and had a range of 10 miles (16.1 km). The lamp was replaced in 1855 with a Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
upgrading the range to 11 miles (17.7 km).
A bell tower was added in 1880 and was in service until 1954 when Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel
Hurricane Hazel was the deadliest and costliest hurricane of the 1954 Atlantic hurricane season. The storm killed as many as 1,000 people in Haiti before striking the United States near the border between North and South Carolina, as a Category 4 hurricane...
damaged it beyond repair.
The federal government deeded the property to St. Mary's County in 1980 and in 1990 the Museum Division of St. Mary’s County Department of Recreation and Parks began to renovate the grounds.
Exhibits at the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum focus on the lighthouse, the United States Coast Guard
United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard is a branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the seven U.S. uniformed services. The Coast Guard is a maritime, military, multi-mission service unique among the military branches for having a maritime law enforcement mission and a federal regulatory agency...
, the Piney Point area, and the story of the Black Panther U-1105
Unterseeboot 1105
German submarine U-1105, a modified Type VII-C/41 German U-boat, was built at the Nordseewerke Shipyard, Emden, Germany, and commissioned into the Kriegsmarine on 3 June 1944. Oberleutenant Hans-Joachim Schwarz was given command...
German submarine sunk in the Potomac that now serves as a shipwreck dive preserve.
The Potomac River Maritime Exhibit displays four historic wooden vessels in a separate building.
Visitors can climb the lighthouse tower when the museum is open for operation.
The nearby Piney Point Elementary School in Tall Timbers, Maryland is named after the lighthouse.