Scotland in St. Mary's County, Maryland — The American Northeast (Mid-Atlantic)
The Fog Bell Tower
The addition of buoy and coal sheds turned the Point into an important coal storage and buoy repair station. But the new buildings hindered the critical task of its fog bell: signaling the location of the shore during low visibility conditions. In 1889, the bell was placed in a new tower attached to the east side of the coal shed. After an electric light and horn were installed offshore in 1965, both Point Lookout's light and bell were decommissioned.
[Sidebar:]
Original Fog Bell Tower
Built 1872
Freestanding structure built in 1872
Housed a three-foot-diameter bronze bell
Driven by mechanical counterweights
Required rewinding, similar to a grandfather clock
Rang every ten seconds when operating
Too short for sound to pass the sheds
Second Fog Bell Tower
Built 1889
Attached to the coal shed, high enough for sound to pass the shed roofs
Used counterweights and pulleys to ring a 1,00-pound bronze bell
Bell cast by Meneely Foundry, West Troy, New York
Tower moved to the Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum in 1968
Erected by Maryland Park Service; Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these
this page online
Location. 38° 2.304′ N, 76° 19.32′ W. Marker is in Scotland, Maryland, in St. Mary's County. It can be reached from Point Lookout Road (Maryland Route 5) 2.3 miles south of 3rd Way, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 10344 Point Lookout Rd, Scotland MD 20687, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in Southern Maryland. It is also in the American South, specifically in the Upper South, in the Mid-Atlantic, in the Tidewater, and in the Chesapeake Bay Region. Globally, it is in the North Atlantic Region, North America, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once one of the original Thirteen Colonies and also the Antebellum South.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Buoys and Beacons of the Chesapeake Bay (a few steps from this marker); Keeping the Buoys Seaworthy (a few steps from this marker); Rough Treatment (a few steps from this marker); It Takes More Than Lighthouses (a few steps from this marker); New Buoy Technology (a few steps from this marker); The Wooden Spar Buoy (a few steps from this marker); The Bay Is a Sunken River (within shouting distance of this marker); From Buoys to Barracks (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Scotland.
Credits. This page was last revised on April 16, 2026. It was originally submitted on April 15, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on April 15, 2026, by Devry Becker Jones of Washington, District of Columbia.
