Sandy Point Lighthouse (JV5241) - Annapolis, MD
Posted by: 
bluesnote
N 39° 00.954 W 076° 23.075
18S E 380130 N 4319452
A lighthouse in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay.
Waymark Code: WM14F53
Location: Maryland, United States
Date Posted: 06/26/2021
Views: 5
Taken from Wikipedia, "Sandy Point Shoal Light is a brick three story lighthouse on a caisson foundation that was erected in 1883. It lies about 0.6 mi (0.97 km) off Sandy Point, north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge, from whose westbound span it is readily visible.
The current light replaced a brick tower on the point itself, integral to the keeper's house, which was erected in 1857. By 1874 the Lighthouse Board complained that the extent of the shoal and the poor equipment of the lighthouse made a new light necessary; appropriations were not forthcoming, however, until 1882. The whole gamut of light sources has been run, from oil wicks to incandescent oil vapor (1913) to electricity (1929). The characteristic changed from flashing to fixed and back to flashing along with the change in light source. The present light is powered by a pair of solar panels attached to the roof on the south side.
After automation in 1963, the light became subject to vandalism due to its visibility and its accessibility. The original lens was destroyed in 1979, apparently smashed with a baseball bat. Though the Coast Guard made efforts at maintaining and restoring the structure from 1988 to 1990, it continued to deteriorate. In 2006 it was sold at auction to a private bidder, after an unsuccessful attempt to find a non-profit group to take responsibility for the light. The Coast Guard continued to maintain the navigation aids until June 2019, when the light was discontinued due to deterioration of the privately owned supporting structure. The structure was added to the National Register of Historic Places as Sandy Point Shoal Light Station on December 2, 2002."
Description from NGS datasheet (1947):
DESCRIBED BY COAST AND GEODETIC SURVEY 1947 (MJT)
THE STATION IS LOCATED IN CHESAPEAKE BAY ABOUT 6 MILES NE OF ANNAPOLIS AND 2 MILES N OF THE SANDY POINT FERRY LANDING. IT IS PAINTED RED, WHITE, AND BLACK, AND THE POINT OBSERVED WAS THE FLASHING LIGHT. TO REACH FROM THE JUNCTION OF STATE HIGHWAY 2 AND REVELL HIGHWAY (SANDY POINT FERRY ROAD) GO E ON REVELL HIGHWAY FOR 4.6 MILES, TURN LEFT THROUGH A WHITE GATE AND GO 0.9 MILE TO A BRICK HOUSE BELONGING TO MR. LABROT. BEAR LEFT AROUND THE HOUSE AND GO 0.5 MILE ON DIM TRACK ROAD TO THE BEACH ON SANDY POINT.
THE STATION IS ABOUT 1/2 MILE N OF THE POINT IN THE CHANNEL.
Condition: Mark found in good condition
Designation: SANDY POINT LIGHTHOUSE 1898
Benchmark Agency: other (not included below)
Benchmark Agency (if other): N/A
Monumentation type: Lighthouse
County: Anne Arundel County
USGS 7.5' Topographic Quadrangle Name (optional): Annapolis
Special category (optional): Not listed
Find type: Coordinates and/or to-reach information from the NGS database (or Geocaching's copy of it) were used
Web address of this benchmark's datasheet (optional): [Web Link]
NGS PID: JV5241
Local database's URL (optional): [Web Link]
Monumentation type (if other): Not listed
Special Category (if other): Not listed
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