North Point Range Lights
Encyclopedia
The North Point Range Lights were some of the earliest lights in the Maryland portion of the Chesapeake Bay
. Intended to guide ships headed for Baltimore harbor into the Patapsco River
, they were superseded by channel construction in the 1870s and '80s, and were replaced by the Craighill Channel Upper Range front
and rear
lights.
submitted drawings for these lights before his death in 1820, but the range was not erected until 1822. Both houses stood in shallow water off North Point, with footbridges connecting them to the shore. A single keeper served both lights, and he was paid nearly double the usual amount for his services. The construction of the lights was apparently substandard, and in 1830 John Donahoo
was called upon to repair and shore them up.
When they were constructed, no ship channel had yet been dredged in the Patapsco, though some dredging had been performed in the Inner Harbor
area. In the 1850s the Brewerton Channel was constructed, but it headed straight out of the harbor to the mouth of the river. Therefore the range lights never marked a specific channel. Complaints about the visibility and usefulness of the lights were common.
In the 1870s the construction of the main Craighill Channel made the lights obsolete, since it ran in a different direction and had its own range lights. Therefore the North Point lights were abandoned in 1873. When the Craighill Channel Cutoff was constructed in the 1880s, it was initially planned to adapt the North Point west light as the front light for a range for the new channel. The old light proved unsatisfactory, however, and it was torn down; its foundation was preserved and used for the new Craighill Channel Upper Range Front Light
. The new rear light
was placed at a completely different location on Sparrows Point
. The foundation of the east light remains, charted as an obstruction but otherwise unmarked.
Chesapeake Bay
The Chesapeake Bay is the largest estuary in the United States. It lies off the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by Maryland and Virginia. The Chesapeake Bay's drainage basin covers in the District of Columbia and parts of six states: New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and West...
. Intended to guide ships headed for Baltimore harbor into the Patapsco River
Patapsco River
The Patapsco River is a river in central Maryland which flows into Chesapeake Bay. The river's tidal portion forms the harbor for the city of Baltimore...
, they were superseded by channel construction in the 1870s and '80s, and were replaced by the Craighill Channel Upper Range front
Craighill Channel Upper Range Front Light
The Craighill Channel Upper Range Front Light is one of a pair of range lights that marks the second section of the shipping channel into Baltimore harbor.-History:...
and rear
Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light
The Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light is one of a pair of range lights that marks the second section of the shipping channel into Baltimore harbor.-History:...
lights.
History
Benjamin LatrobeBenjamin Latrobe
Benjamin Henry Boneval Latrobe was a British-born American neoclassical architect best known for his design of the United States Capitol, along with his work on the Baltimore Basilica, the first Roman Catholic Cathedral in the United States...
submitted drawings for these lights before his death in 1820, but the range was not erected until 1822. Both houses stood in shallow water off North Point, with footbridges connecting them to the shore. A single keeper served both lights, and he was paid nearly double the usual amount for his services. The construction of the lights was apparently substandard, and in 1830 John Donahoo
John Donahoo
John Donahoo was a lighthouse builder active in Maryland for much of the first half of the nineteenth century....
was called upon to repair and shore them up.
When they were constructed, no ship channel had yet been dredged in the Patapsco, though some dredging had been performed in the Inner Harbor
Inner Harbor
The Inner Harbor is a historic seaport, tourist attraction, and iconic landmark of the City of Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Described by the Urban Land Institute in 2009 as “the model for post-industrial waterfront redevelopment around the World.” The Inner Harbor is actually the end of the...
area. In the 1850s the Brewerton Channel was constructed, but it headed straight out of the harbor to the mouth of the river. Therefore the range lights never marked a specific channel. Complaints about the visibility and usefulness of the lights were common.
In the 1870s the construction of the main Craighill Channel made the lights obsolete, since it ran in a different direction and had its own range lights. Therefore the North Point lights were abandoned in 1873. When the Craighill Channel Cutoff was constructed in the 1880s, it was initially planned to adapt the North Point west light as the front light for a range for the new channel. The old light proved unsatisfactory, however, and it was torn down; its foundation was preserved and used for the new Craighill Channel Upper Range Front Light
Craighill Channel Upper Range Front Light
The Craighill Channel Upper Range Front Light is one of a pair of range lights that marks the second section of the shipping channel into Baltimore harbor.-History:...
. The new rear light
Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light
The Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light is one of a pair of range lights that marks the second section of the shipping channel into Baltimore harbor.-History:...
was placed at a completely different location on Sparrows Point
Sparrows Point
Sparrows Point is an unincorporated area in Baltimore County, Maryland, adjacent to Dundalk, Maryland. Named for Thomas Sparrow, landowner, it was the site of a very large industrial complex owned by Bethlehem Steel, known for steelmaking and shipbuilding....
. The foundation of the east light remains, charted as an obstruction but otherwise unmarked.