Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station
About this property
The Piney Point Lighthouse was built in 1836 located at Piney Point on the Potomac River in Maryland just up the river from the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay. The Coast Guard decommissioned it in 1964 and it has since become a museum. It is known as the Lighthouse of Presidents because several early US Presidents visited or stayed on the grounds. Congress appropriated $5000 to build the lighthouse in 1836. The lighthouse was built by John Donahoo and had a range of 10 nautical miles (19 km; 12 mi). The lamp was replaced in 1855 with a Fresnel lens upgrading the range to 11 nautical miles (20 km; 13 mi). A bell tower was added in 1880 and was in service until 1954 when Hurricane Hazel damaged it beyond repair. The federal government deeded the property to St. Mary's County in 1980 and in 1990 the Museum Division of St. Mary's County Department of Recreation and Parks began to renovate the grounds. Exhibits at the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum focus on the lighthouse, the United States Coast Guard, the Piney Point area, and the story of the Black Panther U-1105 German submarine sunk in the Potomac that now serves as a shipwreck dive preserve. The Potomac River Maritime Exhibit displays four historic wooden vessels in a separate building. Visitors can climb the lighthouse tower when the museum is open for operation. The nearby Piney Point Elementary School in Tall Timbers, Maryland is named after the lighthouse. "Piney Point Lighthouses Museum". Archived from the original on October 6, 2006. Retrieved October 8, 2006. "Piney Point Elementary School". St. Mary's County Public Schools. Archived from the original on May 28, 2008. Retrieved July 9, 2008. Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Piney Point Light Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station, St. Mary's County, including photo from 2000, at Maryland Historical Trust
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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.
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Questions about this property
When was Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station listed on the National Register?
Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on June 15, 1976.
What type of historic resource is Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station?
Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station is classified as a structure in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station?
The period of significance for Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station is recorded as the industrial era.
Can I research the history near Piney Point Coast Guard 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 Piney Point Coast Guard Light Station will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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