Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse Tour

In 1873 Congress appropriated $20,000 for the construction of a screw-pile structure. The lighthouse was built in 1875. Ice was a perpetual threat to screw-pile lights on the Chesapeake, and in 1877 the original lens was destroyed when it toppled by shaking from ice floes. This lens was replaced, and the additional piles and riprap were placed around the foundation in order to protect it. By 1964 it was the last manned light in the Chesapeake Bay, and it was not automated until 1986. It is currently the last unaltered screwpile cottage-type lighthouse on its original foundation in the Chesapeake Bay. Tours are conducted several times a year, usually between June and October, by the Annapolis Maritime Museum. It is a National Historic Landmark and is currently owned by the City of Annapolis. The US Coast Guard still maintains navigation and weather monitoring equipment in the lighthouse.