CT-65 Cove Point Lighthouse
Architectural Survey File
This is the architectural survey file for this MIHP record. The survey file is organized reverse- chronological (that is, with the latest material on top). It contains all MIHP inventory forms, National Register nomination forms, determinations of eligibility (DOE) forms, and accompanying documentation such as photographs and maps.
Users should be aware that additional undigitized material about this property may be found in on-site architectural reports, copies of HABS/HAER or other documentation, drawings, and the “vertical files” at the MHT Library in Crownsville. The vertical files may include newspaper clippings, field notes, draft versions of forms and architectural reports, photographs, maps, and drawings. Researchers who need a thorough understanding of this property should plan to visit the MHT Library as part of their research project; look at the MHT web site (mht.maryland.gov) for details about how to make an appointment.
All material is property of the Maryland Historical Trust.
Last Updated: 02-03-2017 Cove Point Lighthouse (CT-65) Built 1828 3510 Lighthouse Boulevard (MD 497), Lusby Calvert County, Maryland Public
In April 2015, the Calvert County government identified ten properties that are in a floodplain, are likely to be affected by a storm event that raises water up to five feet, or are along shorelines that are susceptible to erosion and intrusion from rising water table. The Cove Point Lighthouse is one of these properties. The lighthouse is vulnerable to rising water, as it has suffered flooding in the past; however, no evidence of flooding was found during on-site survey.
The Cove Point Lighthouse is situated on Cove Point, a small peninsula south of Calvert Cliffs
State Park and north of Cove Point Hollow. The Lighthouse, constructed in 1828, is sited within a complex that also includes a Lighthouse Keeper's Dwelling (1828), Fog Signal Building (1901), a
Generator and Fog Signal Building (1950), Enlisted Quarters (ca. 1950), and a parking area and pavilion housing interpretive panels regarding the history of the site. Dates are based on documentary research and physical characteristics (Aerial Site Plan).
The property is associated with maritime history and the lighthouse is reported to be the oldest extant lighthouse in southern Maryland. The lighthouse itself retains excellent integrity under all applicable criteria, while the property as a whole retains a high degree of integrity of location, setting, feeling, and association, and a moderately high degree of integrity of design, materials, and workmanship. Historic alterations to the dwelling house and the addition of the mid-century Generator and Fog Signal Building and Enlisted Quarters do not detract from the integrity of the property and serve to show the evolution of the site through time. Maryland Historical Trust Inventory No. CT-65 Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties Form
1. Name of Property (indicate preferred name)
historic Cove Point Lighthouse
other 2. Location
street and number 3510 Lighthouse Boulevard (MD 497) not for publication
city, town Lusby vicinity county Calvert County
3. Owner of Property (give names and mailing addresses of all owners)
name Board of Commissioners, Calvert County
street and number Calvert County Courthouse telephone city, town Prince Frederick state Maryland zip code 20678 4. Location of Legal Description
courthouse, registry of deeds, etc. Calvert County Courthouse liber KPS folio 1302/690 city, town Prince Frederick tax map 43 tax parcel 241 tax ID number 01-240625 5. Primary Location of Additional Data
___ Contributing Resource in National Register District ___ Contributing Resource in Local Historic District --'-'X_ Determined Eligible for the National Register/Maryland Register ___ Determined Ineligible for the National Register/Maryland Register ___ Recorded by HASS/HAER ___ Historic Structure Report or Research Report at MHT -~X~ Other: NRHP Listed April I I, 1973 (NR# 73000907) 6. Classification
Category Ownership Current Function Resource Count __district __public __agriculture __landscape Contributing Noncontributing _X_building(s) __private __commerce/trade _x_recreation/culture 4 2 buildings _x_structure _X_both __defense __religion ____ sites __s ite __domestic __social --'---- structures __object __education __transportation ____ objects __funerary __work in progress 5 -=-3 __ Total __government __unknown __health care __vacant/not in use Number of Contributing Resources __industry _X_other: lighthouse previously listed in the Inventory I 7. Description Inventory No. CT-65
Condition
_x_excellent deteriorated _good ruins fair altered
Prepare both a one paragraph summary and a comprehensive description of the resource and its various elements as it exists today.
SUMMARY f n April 2015, the Calvert County government identified ten properties that are in a floodplain, are likely to be affected by a storm event that raises water up to five feet, or are along shorelines that are susceptible to erosion and intrusion from rising water table. The Cove Point Lighthouse is one of these properties. The lighthouse is vulnerable to rising water, as it has suffered flooding in the past; however, no evidence of flooding was found during on-site survey.
The Cove Point Lighthouse is situated on Cove Point, a small peninsula south of Calvert Cliffs State Park and north of Cove Point Hollow. The Lighthouse, constructed in 1828, is sited within a complex that also includes a Lighthouse Keeper's Dwelling ( 1828), Fog Signal Building ( 190 I), a Generator and Fog Signal Building ( 1950), Enlisted Quarters (ca. 1950), and a parking area and pavilion housing interpretive panels regarding the history of the site. Dates are based on documentary research and physical characteristics (Aerial Site Plan).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION
Lighthouse Exterior
The 51-foot tall conical brick masonry tower sits on a parged stone foundation . Its brick walls are covered with white stucco and are greater than thirty-inches thick at the base of the tower. The lighthouse is surmounted by an M-frame lantern enclosure with twelve triangular glass panels and a black-painted sloped metal roof. A balcony surrounds the lantern, which itself has an iron floor (Photograph I).
The entry door to the lighthouse is located on the west side. It is composed of beaded wood boards oriented vertically on the exterior and diagonally on the interior face. The door is fastened to the masonry door frame by large iron strap hinges and is closed by a simple iron latch. The tower is fenestrated by three six-over-six wood sash windows. Two are located on the north elevation of the tower: one of these is protected by a simple wooden hood and is located near the bottom of the tower, and the second is unhooded and located near the top of the tower. The third window, located on the south side of the tower, is protected by a wooden hood and is located at approximately center height (Photograph 2).
Lighthouse Interior
The interior of the tower is whitewashed brick with a brick floor. The majority of the interior space is occupied by a spiral staircase, which is composed of triangular wooden treads supported by a centrally located wooden column. The staircase leads to the lantern, which is accessed by an iron ladder that leads to a hatch at the top of the coved brick ceiling of the tower (Photographs 3-5).
Fog Signal Building (1901)
The 190 I Fog Signal Building is located approximately twenty feet to the southeast of the lighthouse. The front-gabled structure has an asphalt shingle roof and is clad in wood clapboard siding. lt is a single bay wide and two bays deep, and is surmounted by a copper fog bell suspended from a bracketed wooden frame. The west fa9ade has a centrally located set of four-panel double doors, while the north and south facades each have a set of windows covered over by wooden shutters (Photograph 6). Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. CT-65 Historic Properties Form
Cove Point Lighthouse Continuation Sheet
Number _J_ Page 1
Lighthouse Keeper's Dwelling (1828)
The Lighthouse Keeper's Dwelling is located approximately twenty feet west of the lighthouse. It is a two-and-one-half story structure which is four bays wide and three bays deep and has a hipped terracotta tiled roof with overhanging eaves. The brick building is covered in white painted stucco. All windows on the dwelling are eight-over-eight, double-hung wood windows unless otherwise noted.
Large dormers with overhanging eaves project from the north and south sides of the pyramidal roof, while small eyebrow dormers with two-light half-round windows project from the east and west sides. The large dormer on the north side is pierced by an interior corbeled brick chimney and is fenestrated with by two windows while the one on the south side is fenestrated by a joined pair.
A full-width porch with a standing seam metal shed roof spans the length of the south fa9ade. Its wooden deck floor is accessed by a set of modern wood stairs and is enclosed by modern screening. Two entry doors are located centrally within the enclosure, and each is flanked on the outside by a single window. Windows are positioned over each of the first floor openings at the second story level, and four four-light awning windows fenestrate the basement level.
The north fa9ade is dominated by three projecting shed roofed additions with standing seam metal roofs on the first floor level. The westernmost and easternmost additions are raised on wooden piers and are accessed by modern wooden staircases with simple wooden handrails. The centrally located addition is constructed of stuccoed masonry and is accessible via a modern metal door at ground level. The central addition is flanked by single windows, which are arranged below the two windows on the second story.
The east and west facades are nearly identical, with a symmetrical arrangement of three windows on both the first and second stories. A single eight-light fixed wood window sits within the northernmost bay at the basement window on the west fa9ade. A small gable roofed addition clad in wood clapboard siding with a standing seam metal roof projects from the northernmost bay on the east fa9ade and provides access to the dwelling's basement (Photographs 7-8).
Generator and Fog Signal Building (1950)
The 1950 Generator and Fog Signal Building is located approximately 55 feet southwest of the lighthouse. It is a single story side gable brick building with an asphalt shingle roof. It is three bays wide and two bays deep. The building is fenestrated with two double hung eight-over-eight wood windows on the east elevation, and two eight-over-eight double hung vinyl windows on the west elevation. The north elevation is fenestrated with a double-hung eight-over-eight vinyl window on the west end, while the window opening on the east end has been converted to a vent. The south elevation is fenestrated with a single fixed window flanked by two one-over-one double-hung vinyl windows at the west end, while the window opening at the east end has been converted to a vent as on the north elevation. An interior brick chimney stack protrudes from the apex of the roofon the east side of the building (Photograph 9).
Enlisted Quarters (ca. 1950)
The Enlisted Quarters are located approximately eighty feet west of the 1950 Generator and Fog Signal Building. The building is three bays wide and two bays deep with a side-gabled asphalt shingled roof. The building has a projecting shed roof porch on the east side and is clad in and vinyl siding. A small gabled-roof addition projects from the north side, and a modern wooden deck extends across the northern halfofthe west fa9ade (Photograph 10). Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. CT-65 Historic Properties Form
Cove Point Lighthouse Continuation Sheet
Number _J_ Page 2
Non-Contributing Buildings
Two equipment sheds are located on the property, the larger approximately fifty feet southwest and the smaller approximately thirty feet west of the Enlisted Quarters. Both wooden side-gabled structures are of modern construction and have no fenestration (Photograph I I).
Interpretive Panel Pavilion
A side-gabled roof pavilion located just east of the site's parking area is situated approximately I 00 feet west of the lighthouse. The structure shelters a series of interpretive panels describing the history of the complex. It appears to have been constructed in the late 1990s (Photograph 12). 8. Significance Inventory No. CT-65
Period Areas of Significance Check and justify below
1600-1699 _ agriculture economics health/medicine _ performing arts 1700-1799 _ archeology education _ industry _ philosophy x 1800-1899 architecture _ engineering invention _ politics/government x 1900-1999 art entertainmenU _ landscape architecture _ religion 2000- commerce recreation law science communications _ ethnic heritage literature _ social history _ community planning _ exploration/ X maritime history _ transportation conservation settlement _ military X other: Navigation
Specific dates I 828-1950 Architect/Builder
Construction dates I 828- I 950s
Evaluation for:
___ National Register ____Maryland Register _ __,X_,__not evaluated
Prepare a one-paragraph summary statement of significance addressing applicable criteria, followed by a narrative discussion of the history of the resource and its context. (For compliance projects, complete evaluation on a DOE Form - see manual.)
SUMMARY
(Portions of the following sections are abstracted from the previously prepared National Register of Historic Places Inventory - Nomination Form originally prepared by Nancy Miller, Historian of the Maryland Historical Trust, in 1972.)
The Cove Point Lighthouse was evaluated according to criteria set forth in the National Register Bulletin: "How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation" (National Park Service 1997). The property is associated with maritime history and the lighthouse is reported to be the oldest extant lighthouse in southern Maryland. The lighthouse itselfretains excellent integrity under all applicable criteria, while the property as a whole retains a high degree of integrity of location, setting, feeling, and association, and a moderately high degree of integrity of design, materials, and workmanship. Historic alterations to the dwelling house and the addition of the mid century Generator and Fog Signal Building and Enlisted Quarters do not detract fTom the integrity of the property and serve to show the evolution of the site through time.
The Cove Point Lighthouse has served as a navigational aid on the Chesapeake Bay since its construction in 1828. It is the oldest light on the Maryland shore of the Chesapeake Bay. 1 In the I 820' s the United States realized the importance of erecting navigational aids on the Bay. The State of Maryland granted the federal government the right of jurisdiction over the property they had already purchased. 2
NARRATIVE
The Cove Point Lighthouse was constructed in I 828 by John Donohoo. It is the oldest light on the Maryland shore of the Chesapeake Bay. The brick tower was reportedly stuccoed in I 953. Originally, the lighthouse used eleven lamps with eleven 18-inch reflectors. On June 12, I 855, the lighthouse was equipped with a fifth-order Fresnel lens, which exhibited a fixed light varied by flashes. In 1897, a fourth order Fresnel lens replaced the lamps and reflectors. The light was fully electrified in 1907, and was automated in 1986.
The 1901 Fog Signal Building replaced the original fog signal which dated to 1834. The original bell was considered "worn out" and was replaced by a new bell and striking apparatus in 1858. In 1880, the first of a series of bell towers was constructed. Fashioned at the Lazaretto Depot, the first tower was in place for 7 years before it was replaced in 1898 by an iron fog bell tower. That tower was removed in the spring of 190 l and replaced with the extant Fog Signal Building, which was built to house a compressed-air fog signal powered by an internal combustion engine. The manually operated fog bell from the 1898 tower was placed on the top of the 190 I Fog Signal Building as an emergency backup.
1 Charles Francis Stein, History of Calvert County, Maryland, n.p. 1960, 15 I. 2 Laws of Maryland I 826, Chapter I 0 I Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. CT-65 Historic Properties Form
Cove Point Lighthouse Continuation Sheet
Number_§__ Page 1
In 1950, a new brick building was constructed to house the fog signaling apparatus. The building contains an automatic fog detector that activates the fog horn when visibility drops below three nautical miles. The building also houses a radio transmitter.
The Keeper's Dwelling was constructed at the same time as the lighthouse in 1828. The structure began as a simple one and a half story side-gabled dwelling which was expanded significantly during its history. In 1883, it was raised from one story to two stories, which provided three additional rooms. Subsequent expansions added rooms on the east side of the dwelling and the porch to the west elevation.
The Keeper's Dwelling is rented out as part of the Calvert Marine Museum part time, while the other houses at the station serve as quarters for several Coast Guard personnel who work nearby. 9. Major Bibliographical References Inventory No. CT-65
Laws of Maryland. 1826. Chapter 201.
National Park Service. How to Apply the National Register Criteria for Evaluation. National Register Bulletin. Washington, D.C. : National Park Service, U.S. Government Printing Office. 1997.
Seifert, Donna; Barbara J. Little; Beth L. Savage, and John H. Sprinkle, Jr. Drafting Boundaries for National Register Properties. U.S. Department of the Interior, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. 1995, revised 1997.
Stein, Charles Francis. A History of Calvert County, Maryland. n.p.: the author, 1960.
U.S. Coast Guard. Light List. Vol. I. The Atlantic Coast. Washington: U. S. Government Printing Office, 1962.
10. Geographical Data
Acreage of surveyed property 1.80 Acres Acreage of historical setting 1.80 Acres Quadrangle name Cove Point, MD Quad Quadrangle scale: ~I :=2~4~0~0~0 ____
Verbal boundary description and justification The proposed ational Register boundary for the Cove Point Lighthouse is as follows: beginning at a gate across Lighthouse Boulevard, going approximately 171 feet to the south to a stand of trees and then turning east and travelling approximately 2 75 feet to a fence at the end of the property, then traveling northeast along said fence for a distance of approximately 95 feet to the seawall at the edge of the property and turning northwest and traveling approximately 180 feet to a stand of trees and then turning southwest and traveling approximately 175 feet before turning south and traveling approximately 75 feet and returning to its point of origin. This boundary encompasses the Lighthouse, the Light Keeper's Dwelling, the 1901 Fog Signal Buildings and all previously described noncontributing buildings and associated grounds. This boundary was prepared in accordance with guidelines set forth in the National Register Bulletin: "Defining Boundaries for National Register Properties" (Seifert et al. 1997).
11. Form Prepared by
name/title C. Leggio and D. Litowitz/ Architectural Historians organization Johnson, Mirmiran & Thompson date July 15, 2015 street & number 72 Loveton Circle telephone 410-329-3100 city or town Sparks state Maryland
The Maryland Inventory of Historic Properties was officially created by an Act of the Maryland Legislature to be found in the Annotated Code of Maryland , Article 41 , Section 181 KA, 1974 supplement.
The survey and inventory are being prepared for information and record purposes only and do not constitute any infringement of individual property rights.
return to : Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Department of Planning 100 Community Place Crownsville, MD 21032-2023 410-514-7600 Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. CT-65 Historic Properties Form
Cove Point Lighthouse Continuation Sheet
Number _JL Page 2
Cove Point Light Station, 1928. Courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard. Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. CT-65 Historic Properties Form
Cove Point Lighthouse Continuation Sheet
Number _jL_ Page 3
Resource Location Map and Photo Key
* Reso11tte Loatioa I I I I I I I I I 0 0 . 00~.01 0.02 Miles Maryland Historical Trust Maryland Inventory of Inventory No. CT-65 Historic Properties Form
Cove Point Lighthouse Continuation Sheet
Number _jL_ Page 4
Resource Location Map
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Cove Point Lighthouse Continuation Sheet
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CT-65 - Cove Point Lighthouse - Photo Log Prints created using Epson DuraBrite Ultra Inks and Epson Premium Glossy Photo Paper Data included on Verbatim® UltraLife™ Archival Grade DVD-R with Proprietary AZO recording dye
Image Image File Name Image Description No. 1 CT-65 2015-05-26 01 View of the Cove Point Lighthouse, looking southeast. 2 CT-65 2015-05-26 02 View of the Cove Point Lighthouse, looking north. 3 CT-65 2015-05-26 03 Interior view of the door to the Cove Point Light House. 4 CT-65_2015-05-2 6_ 04 Interior view of the Cove Point Lighthouse, looking up from the entrance. 5 CT-65_2015-05-26_05 Interior view of the Cove Point Lighthouse, looking down from the top of the spiral staircase. 6 CT-65 2015-05-26 06 View of the ca. 1901 Fog Signal Building, looking northeast. 7 CT-65 2015-05-26 07 View of the Lighthouse Keeper's Dwelling, looking north. 8 CT-65 2015-05-26 08 View of the Lighthouse Keeper's Dwelling, looking south. 9 CT-65_2015-05-26_09 View of the ca. 1950 Generator and Fog Signal Building, looking north. 10 CT-65 2015-05-26 10 View of the Enlisted Quarters, looking south. 11 CT-65 2015-05-26 11 View of the two sheds on the Lighthouse property, looking south. 12 CT-65_2015-05-26_12 View of the complex from the parking lot, looking east. The pavilion in the center of the image shelters interpretive panels relating to the site.
CT-65 1828 Cove Point Lighthouse Lighthouse Boulevard (MD 497) Cove Point Federal
The Cove Point Lighthouse is a conical brick tower rising 51' above the ground. Its walls are over 30" thick at the base. It has a nominal range (the maximum distance at which the light may be seen in clear weather) of 21 miles and 150,000 candle-power lamp. It has a flashing white beacon. The lighthouse has a radio beacon and a horn as well. The entrance to the lighthouse is on the west side. Two 6/6 sash windows pierce the north side of the tower, one near the bottom and one near the top, and a single 6/6 sash window pierces the south side of the tower, about half way up. A balcony with an iron railing encircles the top of the lighthouse. The brick tower was covered with stucco in 1953. The circular lantern, with cast-iron mullions supported by a masonry wall and surrounded by an 18" stone deck and cast iron railing, has triangular panes of glass and is painted black. The interior floor of the lantern is formed of a single iron plate. The interior winding staircase is constructed of triangular wooden treads with a hole on the interior side of each tread through which a central wooden column is threaded. The outward side of each tread is fitted directly into the masonry of the tower as is a narrow handrail which appears to be original.
Next to the stairwell column a square shaft, also running from the ground level to the lantern, houses the counterweights of the original winding mechanism. The lightkeeper's house, located immediately to the west of the lighthouse, was raised to two stories in 1883, providing three additional rooms. This square brick building is four bays by three bays, with a pyramidal hip roof and large gabled dormers with two 6/6 sash windows each. Windows on the first and second floors are 8/8 sash. Doors, covered by shed-roofed vestibules reached by a flight of steps, appear in the outer bays of the four-bay facades. A small 1901 gable-front frame shed, one bay wide by two deep, stands to the south of the lighthouse.
Centered on the peak of the west gable end of its roof is a large fog bell supported by a bracketed frame. The entrance to the shed, covered by paneled shutters, consists of a double door in the west end. Windows, two each on the north and south facades, and one on the east gable end, are 4/4 sash with a single paneled shutter. The roof is standing seam metal. The shed originally housed a blower siren and machinery.
One of twelve lighthouses built in Maryland by John Donohoo, the Cove
Point Lighthouse has served as a navigational aid on the Chesapeake Bay since its construction in 1828. It is the oldest light on the Maryland shore of the
Chesapeake Bay. In the 1820s, the United States realized the importance of erecting navigational aids on the Bay. The State of Maryland granted the
Federal government the right of jurisdiction over the property they had already purchased. Originally, the lighthouse used eleven lamps with eleven 18" reflectors. On June 12, 1855, the lighthouse was equipped with a fifth-order
Fresnel lens, which exhibited a fixed light, varied by flashes. In 1897, a fourth order Fresnel lens replaced the lamps and reflectors. This lens had a weight driven rotation mechanism. The light was fully electrified in 1907. Though automated since 1986, the light still functions, and the houses at the station serve as quarters for several Coast Guard personnel who work nearby. The
Cove Point station has had a fog signal for many years, the first in 1834. This bell lasted until 1858, when it was considered worn out and was replaced by a new bell and striking apparatus. In 1880 the first of a series of bell towers was built. Fashioned at the Lazaretto Depot, the first tower lasted seven years before it had to be replaced. In 1898 an iron fog bell tower, a square pyramidal structure
31' tall, was installed. This tower was removed in the spring of 1901 and replaced with another wood frame structure, this time on a brick foundation. This tower held a second class Daboll trumpet fog signal. The old fog bell, attached to a support on the roof, was retained for emergency use. In 1891, in response to erosion problems, the Lighthouse Board approved a substantial wooden seawall surrounding the house. The fog bell tower was also moved inland 16'. A seawall still protects the point from erosion. CT-65 ,- COVE POINT LIGHTHOUSE 1828
Of stone construction, now stuccoed and painted white, this structure is the oldest lighthouse extant in southern Maryland as well as one of the oldest in Mary land. CT-65 l'orm 10.JOO UNITED STATES DEPARTMfNT or lH[ INTERIOR ·~ 1 A I l · July 1969) NATIONAL PARK SERVIC(
NATIONAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES INVENTORY - NOMINATION FORM /. (Type all t•ntrit•s - ..:omplete applicnbfo st•cl ions) Ii i! Ii 0 f Cove Point .1 ~'t""'O·ORH_1_s.roR"i.c:"' Lig~thouse. ------·------j:'• I ,,I 11.-· LOCATl,ON___ ,.. ----··· ..... _. _____ ·---·-- ,_ ...... " . ~HT"_N_l_'_N_U_M_El_li_R_I ___._ '---·-·---·------~ " I Cove 1:Qi~ Lighthouse Boule~ard (Maryland Route 497) CITY O~ TOWN: . Cov_'!_~_oi:nt _!3~a~h ______5 COlJl COUN·1 V• I COPI J ~~;yland I 24 I Calvert I nnq (f~L.A!si~.C~i!tON __ .... j CATEGORY OWN;~S~l~------4 STATU' ACCESSIBLE z TO THE PU~LIC t-~J D-i,-t-,.·'-c:-·h~~" !~~··:uildlng ~ Public ]~IC Acqu1si;ion; . rx Occupied y • ., 0 CJ Reatricted '. 'J Site \X Structure 0 Private [I In Process D Unoccupied I [] Object 0 Bath l J Being Considered 0 Preaervation wor~ l:J Unrutricted ... . In progres • acJ No u l PRUENT_~_ii:~~-~~~-·~~"-'~.,~~~pproprl11lo)______------·---~ ::> I.] Agricultur6'1 l I Government l I Purk l J Tronaporlotion c·1 Comment• a::: L·~ Commercial I I h11Ju5trial I I Private Residence QC! Other (Sp... dfy) ... LJ Educotianal LJ Military I I Religioul lighthouse ._j Entertainment ['l Mu1eum l I Scientific 17'-I -·· ------·· ----····---·-··-· .... z ' •. OWNER OF PROPERTY ------··· .... ---· ___ ·- ER's N•ME: United States of America ~ ~ nc'"'t..___c.f. __ Transportation*- II S Coast Gnard ~ ~ w IT" E_E_T_A_N_O_N_U_M_El_E.-F'l --...... _--·--.-..-.- .. - .. __ ;·y··-l···a·_n_d ____ . ·.-.. ·. ___ jE.Rj";~E PRE°SEN"i'"A.iia~ ::~::·~rederick ·,~ ~~t.E!_~!_v.ev~ _ _ __ ~__ J"~~- _ _ ·-~~~'-t- I n Tl- E o ~ :;u R" Ev: ~ ~ I Ma_;y_~~~g--~~gl~~~~--9.~_JU.storic Site$ anc1 ~~.n.~ID_i_~_-_-_f__a_~-~~Y ___ :.·_·_i=·j--l.·~;_;; • .... -.... •••· " 0 ~1· 5UHVLV: 1970 ... I_ I _r_"'_lmul IJd 51n1c __1 __ _ 1 _ _ Al 1 101_pos•r The Cove Point Lighthouse is a white conical masonry tower rising 51 feet above the ground. It has a nominal rangel of 21 miles and 150,000 candle-power lamp. It has a flashing white beacon. The lighthouse has a radio beacon and a horn as well. The entrance to the lighthouse is on the west side. There is a window half way up the tower on the south. A balcony encircles the top of the lighthouse. The light is enclosed by glass. The lightkeeper's house is located inunediately to the west of the lighthouse. \It m m z 0 z !Nominal range: the maximum distance at which the light may be seen in clear weather • .... ·-···-··-·-·--·------_, .. . ' ···.1·'~ '.... i. .. n.nl CT-65 I'· SIGNIFICANCE . l>EFllOD (Checlr One or More•• Approprl•le) 0 Pre-Columbian: [l 16th Century LJ 18th Century ~ 20th Century 0 15th Century [J 17th Century CJ 19th Century - SPECIFIC DATElal ,,, Appllc•bl• •ndKnownJ AREAi OF SIGNll'lCANCE (Checlr One or More •• Appropriate) A.bor iglnol 0 Education [I Political [J Urban Planning CJ Prehistoric 0 Engineering [J Religion/Phi. !XI Other (Specify) 0 Historic 0 Industry lo•ophy navigation 0 Agriculture 0 Invention Cl Science 0 Architecture 0 Landscape [J Sculpture 0 Art Architecture [] Soc1ollHuman• 0 Ca111111orco 0 Literature llarian 0 Com111unlcatlon1 [] Military ["] Theater u Conservation IJ Muaic I l T ran1portarion STATEIWENT 01' llQNll'ICANCE The Cove Point Lighthouse has served as a navigational aid on the Chesapeake Bay since its construction in "" 1828. It is the oldest light on the Maryland shore of z the Chesapeake Bay.l In the 1820's the United States realized the importance of erecting navigational aids 0 on the Bay. The State of Maryland granted the federal government the right of jurisdiction over the property .... they had already purchased.2 u =DI: .... .- "'z w w "' ') I lcharles Francis Stein, History of Calvert County, Maryland, n.p. 1960, 151. 2Laws of Maryland 1826, Chapter 101 -- r·•·'•. CT-65 "!1•·;~':·.~~~:;:~·:::~~."•~;:~:~;=-:~ ~:---:c~~~~oast~- -1 Washington: u. S. Government Printing Office, 1962. · !Laws of Maryland. 1826. Chapter 201. !stein, Charles Francis. A History of Calvert County, : Maryland. n.p.: the author, 1960. ·--·--- ··- -· ··- ·------··-·-- --·-··- -- ·- ____ ... _ ~------· ·-. ------)~!~'-!~ Oe;;;;:L.~;~~:~~';';cond; -0·~·;,:~~u~~~:~:~~~--;~nd• Deg1Ccft Minute~ Seconds Degree• Minutro\ Scrond• NW " ' " o l) 0 NE o ' " o 38 23 10 76 22 0 rI 5E • " o I~ o o . ------~~-- I" P P~"~--"-c~_l!".~~-o~-~0~1N~-:"~o PuoP_1o:Hn, _.four acres ______------._,sT 41-1- STATE.I AND COUNTIES FOR PRO~•[:RTIES 01/LRLAPPING STAlF OH COUNlY BOUNDAl - _.. ------·------~----! ------'IT ATE• (t.Jl>l LOUNlY: z -1------~---1 ITATE: CCllll-- COUNTY: -i XJ t!L FORM PRe"'PA'Reo BY _-______c: HAME .;NO Tl Tl.Ii: ·n Na~~y -~!.!.!~1:!. ~~_sto~_~an OR<."'t•l .. ATION - ----~----·l> A r l -i 1Maryland Historical Trust . ____ S~p__t_._~ __ l9L ST~EETANtlNUMAER,-- --- ·------0 2525 Riva Road ----rc~~ z C'IT~ OR TOl\N: --·------5.T Al E Annapolis Maryland 21401 24 r12. sr Are Lt Atsot:i_o_F_F~,c_e_R_c ER.TIF.1cA·, -ioN--__-·-_·_--_.-U- ___.:..:N=A~r.:.:10:.:N:.:.:A:..:.L::...;.R:.:E:..:G:.:.1:;.sr.:..:e::.;R.-.:.v..;;:e:.:.;R:.:.':..F::.;;1c_A_r._1.-o.;.;N __....,. A:; lhe uuiu11.111.1tl'll Stul•' l.m11:a111 OfCh-•·r f11r tlw N.1 I h .. n·hy ct•rl ify that I his prupcrt y IH in<:lud.. ,I i11 tlw li in lh•• Ni1ti1•1111l l~•·1:i,;t.•r und •'<'rlify lh.il ii h,1s 1... 1-n \..,-,,lual"•'I ,,c..'~UfltU\l?. to thl• t'rth~ria .11•tl prtu't•th.1rt"t-i ~.-•·l f,irlh by llw ~uti . Tit I&? State Lj aisan Officer--- for Maryland --_----_-J.. __ l !)7 2___ -- - --'~•a~l-c--_-- K,:,1,~-~~l~-j;-_" :~i;-lf,:~~~t~::_·1'_.i-_.~_f._-:-_,_-_-~~~~ I ._ ~------·- -·---··------·------~ __ ·- i i;1• ll M 11 I .n • 1 .... ·c'I uru 1cu~1" 1 cos ..,.er""', ...... ,. _, ...... -···-·· NATIONAL PARK SERVICE Maryla_n._d______] , 7 !=OUN TY ..,, NATIOMAL REGISTER OF HISTORIC PLACES 1 Calvert I U1 ------· ------·------· PROPERTY PHOTOGRAPH FORM FOR NPS USE ONLY I _!-~~ ~ y NCMIJI ~ ~ _ , --; ;~·~" •. (Type ull entries - attach to or .:ndos(• with photo&rul'h) --- z 11. •NAME· 0 c0Mt.10N: r'rme Point Liahthouse ' r-~-~---'....-u..;,.__...._,.....-=~~~:;u,.'-"'.i!..t-"''-"".""-"'~------~--·i AN0 1 0R 111STORIC: I- 12. ~OCATJON, u STREET ANO NUMBER: Cove Point ::> CITY OR TOWN: 0: Cove Point Beach ... ST.\ Tilt ~o~E lco-u-~-:-..,-i-v_e_r_t------· ·------:-co-o0-o-l 9.-' Maryland "'z 13~ PHOTO REFl!RENCE .> w w Marvland 21401 "' .14. IDENTIFICAT'--ION..;;.;______---4 OESCRISE YlllW, DIRECTION, £TC. South elevation (, P II 9 n.7 JI -.. COVE POINT QUADRANGLE USGS 7.5 minute map scale: 1: 24 000 1943 .. I ~ ' I _.____ _,..... ______i 3R"22'3tY' ,I ;::.,"•i ;'-~'/' ' .J "" 1 l r I ..