Cedar Point Lighthouse Cupola (1896)

Cedar Point Lighthouse Cupola (1896). . , A Chesapeake Landmark Erected in 1896, the Cedar Point Lighthouse marked the southern point of where the Patuxent River and Chesapeake Bay come together. The lighthouse was a three-story brick and frame structure, with its cupola mounted 50 feet above the water's surface. The cupola contained a specially designed Fresnel (pronounced freh-nell) optical lens, which focused a powerful light beam that could be seen for as far as seven miles., It stood as an important St. Mary's County landmark for both watercraft and aircraft until it was abandoned by the US Coast Guard in 1928. The US Navy purchased the lighthouse in 1958. However, no funds were available to maintain the structure and it rapidly fell into ruin. It's battered remains were eventually disposed of in 1996., Cupola Chronology After the lighthouse was severely damaged by Hurricane David in 1979, the Friends of Cedar Point Lighthouse initiated an effort to preserve the cupola. It was removed in December 1981 and brought ashore. In June 1983 the cupola was erected at the previous site of PRNAM on NAS Patuxent River and dedicated 24 May 1985. When the museum moved to its present location in 2001, the cupola was placed in temporary storage. It was returned to PRNAM on 10 August 2005., [Captions:] , The lighthouse sat on a point of land about 150 yards offshore. Several out buildings included a bell tower., A Fresnel lens of the type used in the Cedar Point lighthouse., The lighthouse was abandoned by the Coast Guard in 1928., Over time, the land on which the lighthouse sat eroded away.