Blackistone Lighthouse

Blackistone Lighthouse. Witness to History. , The original Blackistone Lighthouse was built in 1851, ten years before the start of the American Civil War. It was constructed by John Donahoo of Havre De Grace, Maryland, under contract with the U.S. Government. In 1932, it was decommissioned. Though the white brick structure had two-foot thick walls, the interior wooden framework continued to deteriorate until a fire destroyed the building in 1956. Designated a public hazard, the government leveled the lighthouse and today only the lantern oil shed remains near the original site., The fog bell. Located 25 feet southwest of the lighthouse was a wooden tower with a fog bell. When weather restricted the visibility of the lighthouse, the keeper activated the fog bell by winding a machine that struck the bell every 16 seconds of 2¾ hours., Josephine Freeman was appointed by the federal government as the Blackistone Lighthouse Keeper in 1875. She lived in the keeper's quarters with her husband, William Mitchell Freeman, and four children. Her salary provided the main source of income for her family until her death in 1912.