Welcome to Drum Point Lighthouse

Welcome to Drum Point Lighthouse. . , "The necessity of a light at this point is very great, as all vessels bound up or down the Chesapeake put in at this place during the winter to seek protection from floating ice; and as the entrance is formed by a low sand spit, which cannot be seen at night, vessels are often obliged to anchor outside the above mentioned point until daylight, and in consequence, are often driven ashore in heavy ad adverse winds." , (Lt. William D. Porter, 1883), Drum Point Lighthouse was built in 1883 to mark the northern approach to the Patuxent River. it was originally located due south of Drum Point, 120 yards offshore, on five acres of submerged land conveyed by Maryland to the federal government., A white-painted hexagonal wooden structure was built on seven iron screwpiles. All parts were prefabricated and numbered, enabling assembly in only thirty-three days. A fourth-order Fesnel lens was installed and first lit on August 20 1883, showing a fixed red light. The living quarters contained four equal-sized rooms on the first floor , kitchen, sitting room, and two bedrooms. The second floor contained two additional rooms, one housing the bell striking mechanism. Four 200-gallon tanks collected water from the roof., [Captions:] , 1938 chart of the Patuxent River showing the original location of Drum Point Lighthouse. In 1911, the light was changed to a fixed white with three red sectors. The red sectors alerted mariners to the presence of shoal waters., Back from the Brink. , In 1962, the lighthouse was replaced by a nearby automated beacon-type light and the keepers were withdrawn. In 1974, thanks to a strong effort by the Calvert County Historical Society, it was acquired by the Calvert County Government. (CMM363), On March 27, 1975, the lighthouse began its two-mile journey from Drum Point to Solomons. The pilings were cut off at the waterline and the entire structure moved in one piece. The lighthouse was moved by B. F. Diamond Construction Co. of Savannah, Georgia, which was building the Thomas Johnson Bridge at the time. (P-666), Drum Point Lighthouse on its new foundation shortly after its arrival at the Calvert Marine Museum. Following extensive renovations, the lighthouse was reopened as a historic site on June 24, 1978. (P-680), A Changing Landscape. , The earliest known photograph of the lighthouse, about 1907. Note the storage platform underneath the structure, built around 1899, and the outside ladders, the only means of access to the cottage at the time. (P-1033), Keeper William Yeatman with his children , Loretta, Louis, Estelle, and William , in 1918. By this time, a shoal had built up between the shore and the lighthouse, enabling a footbridge to be constructed. (P-2156), In the 1950s, when this photograph was taken, a person could almost walk out to the lighthouse. (P-687), Drum Point Lighthouse Today. , (Right) The fourth-order Fresnel lens was originally lit by kerosene lamp. Keepers were required to clean and fill the lamp and polish the lens. It was not until 1944 that the lens was electrified., (Above) Retired keeper John Hansen inside the kitchen, 1978. From 1883 until 1962, there was a total of nineteen keepers , sixteen civilians and three U.S. Coast Guardsmen. Until 1944, married housekeepers were allowed to have their families with them. After that time, a keeper and two assistant keepers were stationed at the lighthouse. (CMM1201), (Left) A mechanical bell striker is located on the second floor. In bad weather, the keeper had to wind the mechanism by hand every two hours, causing its hammer to strike the 1400-pound bell two blows every fifteen seconds.