Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse

Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse. . , . Built in 1883 at the mouth of the Magothy River to mark the dangerous Sandy Point Shoal. , . A wood caisson foundation supports a 35 foot diameter x 32+1/2 foot high cement filled cast iron cylinder. , . The lighthouse is a 24 foot square, 3-story brick masonry dwelling, 37 feet tall with truncated corners giving it an octagonal shape and mansard roof with dormers. , . The first two levels were used as living quarters by keepers and assistants keepers. The third level is the watch room. , . In March 1895, keeper John Reynolds sent his assistant ashore for medicine. During his absence, ice piled up 16 feet high round the lighthouse, forcing keeper Reynolds to tend the light by himself for 16 days. , Timeline , 1858 First lighthouse marking Sandy Point Shoal was a 3-story house built on land on what now is Sandy Point State Park , 1874 Lighthouse Board determines current land based lighthouse is inadequate to service the heavy volume of passenger steamers , 1882 Congress appropriates $25,000 for construction of current caisson design lighthouse , 1883 Construction of caisson with 3 story dwelling 1,000 yards from Sandy Point State Park , 1901 670 cubic yards of riprap stone placed to secure caisson foundation , 1963 Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse is automated , 1979 Vandals enter the lighthouse and destroy the Fresnel lens with a baseball bat , 1980’s Coast Guard does major repairs and restoration on the lighthouse , 2002 Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse officially listed on the National Register of Historic Places , 2005 GSA declares lighthouse excessive property , 2006 Sandy Point Shoal Lighthouse sold at public auction for $250,000, Historical placard placed in 2019 by the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society, www.cheslights.org Designed by CC USLHS Historian Jennifer C. Jones