Hooper Island Light Station
About this property
The Hooper Island Light is a lighthouse in the Chesapeake Bay, west of Middle Hooper Island in Maryland. The initial request of a light at this site was made in 1897, but construction was delayed until 1901 after the Variety Iron Works Company failed to deliver materials in time. Unlike earlier caisson lights in the bay, the foundation was placed using the pneumatic process, in which the caisson is kept under pressure to expel water, and the interior is excavated to bring the cylinder down to the desired depth. The tower is taller than other Maryland sparkplug lights because of the provision for a watch room as well as a lantern atop the tower, the only example in the state. A fog bell was originally housed on the lower gallery but was later moved to the watch room level, a backup to the fog horn added in the 1930s. The characteristic was changed several times through the years, with different patterns of flashes and eclipses. Along with many other Chesapeake Bay lights, automation came in the early 1960s. In 1976 the original fourth-order Fresnel lens was stolen, and it was replaced with a solar-power lamp. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 2002, as Hooper Island Light Station. The structure was officially turned over to the U.S. Lighthouse Society in June 2009. As of June 2026 light remains an active Aid to Navigation. Located in the northeast corner of a U.S. Navy "danger zone", overnight occupation of the lighthouse is prohibited, per agreement between the GSA and the U.S. Navy's Naval Air Systems Command. In 2022, the General Services Administration announced that the lighthouse was put up for auction with a minimum bidding price of $15,000. Will Powell a GSA spokesman, explained the difficulties of auctioning off the property to include no docking facility for boats, as well as no water, sewage, electricity or gas. According to Powell, an additional challenge to a prospective bidder is the requirement to maintain the lighthouse in accordance with specific rules governing structures on the National Register of Historic Places. The lighthouse sold for $192,000 on September 22, 2022. The lighthouse is owned by The Lighthouse Centers, which is restoring the structure and documenting its progress on its YouTube channel. Hooper Island Lighthouse, from the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society Hooper Island Lighthouse, from Lighthousefriends.com de Gast, Robert (1973). The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press. pp. 134–137. ISBN 9780801815485. Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Hooper Island Light
Location
Categories
Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Everything a full report reveals about Hooper Island Light Station
This page lists Hooper Island Light Station. A full Aubrey report for an address near it pulls together this listing alongside battlefield records, land patents, and every other historical record within a chosen radius:
Every location is different. Not every section appears for every place, only what the historical record actually holds turns up in a report.
Questions about this property
When was Hooper Island Light Station listed on the National Register?
Hooper Island Light Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 2, 2002.
What type of historic resource is Hooper Island Light Station?
Hooper Island Light Station is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Hooper Island Light Station?
The period of significance for Hooper Island Light Station is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Hooper Island Light Station?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Hooper Island Light Station will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
More in Dorchester County
Historic places, battles, and census history across Dorchester County.
Explore DorchesterCounty ›More historic places in Maryland
Browse all historic places in Maryland.
View Marylandhistoric sites ›Research the history near this site
An Aubrey US report for an address near Hooper Island Light Station will include this listing alongside battlefield records and other historical sources within your chosen radius.