Seven Foot Knoll Light
Encyclopedia
The Seven Foot Knoll Light was built in 1855 and is the oldest screw-pile lighthouse
in Maryland
. It was initially installed on a shallow shoal
, Seven Foot Knoll, at the mouth of the Patapsco River
. The northern reach of this river is the Baltimore Harbor
, where the now-decommissioned lighthouse has been placed as a museum.
Constructed of 1-inch (25 mm) rolled iron
, the lighthouse consists of three main sections. The gallery deck was located 9 feet (2.7 m) above the average high tide waters. The house was the second section, sitting directly atop the gallery deck. This is where the keeper and his family would live. Atop the housing area was the third section of the lighthouse, the light beacon. A 4th order Fresnel lens
was housed in the small light compartment. It was visible for 12 miles (19 km).
The first requests for a light came in 1848, with initial appropriations in 1851. Delays in planning and bidding pushed the start of construction to 1854. Total construction costs came to $43,000 by its completion the following year. Most parts were prefabricated in Baltimore
at the Murray and Hazelhurst iron foundry
. The parts were then shipped to Seven Foot Knoll by boat where they were assembled atop of the screw piles. In 1875 the original house was replaced with the current cylindrical structure made of wrought iron plates. Ice, the perennial threat to screw-pile structures, caused damage in 1884 and 1894, leading to the piling of 790 cubic yards (604 m³) of riprap
around the piles.
A light-keeper and his family would have stayed on the lighthouse year-round with 8 days off per month. Probably the most famous of the lighthouse keepers was also the last one, Thomas Jefferson Steinhice (also spelled Steinhise and Steinheiss on various family documents). Steinhice, who was tending the lighthouse with his son Earl, rescued 5 men from their tugboat which had broken down on August 21, 1933. The 90 mph (145 km/h) winds and 15-foot (5 m) seas had rendered the tug inoperable. Steinhice took the lighthouse's small motorboat and made his way out in the direction of the tug's distress whistle. He was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal for his actions in saving the lives of the stranded crew.
The light was automated in 1949, and fell into disrepair, eventually being supplanted by the usual skeleton tower. In 1988, the lighthouse was removed from Seven Foot Knoll, carried by barge, and placed ashore in Baltimore
's Inner Harbor
where it was donated to the city. On August 22, 1989 the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
. Aided by the Lady Maryland Foundation, many members of the Steinhice family descendants worked to restore the structure prior to its re-opening.
In 1997 the lighthouse was transferred to the Baltimore Maritime Museum
where it is located today.
Screw-pile lighthouse
A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse was built by blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell...
in Maryland
Maryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
. It was initially installed on a shallow shoal
Shoal
Shoal, shoals or shoaling may mean:* Shoal, a sandbank or reef creating shallow water, especially where it forms a hazard to shipping* Shoal draught , of a boat with shallow draught which can pass over some shoals: see Draft...
, Seven Foot Knoll, at the mouth of 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...
. The northern reach of this river is the Baltimore 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...
, where the now-decommissioned lighthouse has been placed as a museum.
Constructed of 1-inch (25 mm) rolled iron
Iron
Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe and atomic number 26. It is a metal in the first transition series. It is the most common element forming the planet Earth as a whole, forming much of Earth's outer and inner core. It is the fourth most common element in the Earth's crust...
, the lighthouse consists of three main sections. The gallery deck was located 9 feet (2.7 m) above the average high tide waters. The house was the second section, sitting directly atop the gallery deck. This is where the keeper and his family would live. Atop the housing area was the third section of the lighthouse, the light beacon. A 4th order Fresnel lens
Fresnel lens
A Fresnel lens is a type of lens originally developed by French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel for lighthouses.The design allows the construction of lenses of large aperture and short focal length without the mass and volume of material that would be required by a lens of conventional design...
was housed in the small light compartment. It was visible for 12 miles (19 km).
The first requests for a light came in 1848, with initial appropriations in 1851. Delays in planning and bidding pushed the start of construction to 1854. Total construction costs came to $43,000 by its completion the following year. Most parts were prefabricated in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
at the Murray and Hazelhurst iron foundry
Foundry
A foundry is a factory that produces metal castings. Metals are cast into shapes by melting them into a liquid, pouring the metal in a mold, and removing the mold material or casting after the metal has solidified as it cools. The most common metals processed are aluminum and cast iron...
. The parts were then shipped to Seven Foot Knoll by boat where they were assembled atop of the screw piles. In 1875 the original house was replaced with the current cylindrical structure made of wrought iron plates. Ice, the perennial threat to screw-pile structures, caused damage in 1884 and 1894, leading to the piling of 790 cubic yards (604 m³) of riprap
Riprap
Riprap — also known as rip rap, rubble, shot rock or rock armour or "Rip-rap" — is rock or other material used to armor shorelines, streambeds, bridge abutments, pilings and other shoreline structures against scour, water or ice erosion.It is made from a variety of rock types, commonly granite or...
around the piles.
A light-keeper and his family would have stayed on the lighthouse year-round with 8 days off per month. Probably the most famous of the lighthouse keepers was also the last one, Thomas Jefferson Steinhice (also spelled Steinhise and Steinheiss on various family documents). Steinhice, who was tending the lighthouse with his son Earl, rescued 5 men from their tugboat which had broken down on August 21, 1933. The 90 mph (145 km/h) winds and 15-foot (5 m) seas had rendered the tug inoperable. Steinhice took the lighthouse's small motorboat and made his way out in the direction of the tug's distress whistle. He was awarded the Silver Lifesaving Medal for his actions in saving the lives of the stranded crew.
The light was automated in 1949, and fell into disrepair, eventually being supplanted by the usual skeleton tower. In 1988, the lighthouse was removed from Seven Foot Knoll, carried by barge, and placed ashore in Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
's 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...
where it was donated to the city. On August 22, 1989 the lighthouse was listed on the National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. Aided by the Lady Maryland Foundation, many members of the Steinhice family descendants worked to restore the structure prior to its re-opening.
In 1997 the lighthouse was transferred to the Baltimore Maritime Museum
Baltimore Maritime Museum
Historic Ships in Baltimore, created as a result of the merger of the USS Constellation Museum and the Baltimore Maritime Museum, is a maritime museum located in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore, Maryland in the United States....
where it is located today.