Seven Foot Knoll Light facts for kids
| Location | originally at the mouth of the Patapsco River in the Chesapeake Bay; relocated to the Inner Harbor in Baltimore, Maryland |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°17′01″N 76°36′19″W / 39.2836°N 76.6054°W (current) 39°09′18″N 76°24′33″W / 39.1551°N 76.4091°W (original) |
| Year first lit | 1856 |
| Automated | 1949 |
| Deactivated | 1988 |
| Foundation | screw-pile |
| Construction | wrought-iron (originally cast-iron) |
| Tower shape | cylindrical house |
| Height | 40 ft (12 m) |
| Original lens | fourth-order Fresnel lens |
| Range | 12 nmi (22 km; 14 mi) |
The Seven Foot Knoll Light is a very old lighthouse in Maryland. It was built in 1855 or 1856 and is the oldest screw-pile lighthouse in the state. Imagine a lighthouse standing on giant screws drilled into the seabed!
This special lighthouse used to sit in the Chesapeake Bay. It helped ships find their way safely into the Patapsco River. Later, a newer navigation system took its place. The Seven Foot Knoll Light was then moved to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Now, it's a cool museum exhibit where you can learn all about its history.
Where It Stood
The lighthouse first stood on a rocky spot called Seven Foot Knoll. This was right at the mouth of the Patapsco River. The river leads to Baltimore Harbor, a busy port.
In 1997, the lighthouse found its new home. It was given to the Baltimore Maritime Museum. This museum is now part of the Historic Ships in Baltimore museum. You can visit it today at the south end of Pier 5 in the Inner Harbor.
How It Was Built
This lighthouse is made from strong, rolled iron plates, about 1 inch thick. It has three main parts. The bottom part is the gallery deck, which was about 9 feet above the water.
Above the gallery deck was the house section. This is where the lighthouse keeper and their family lived. On top of the house was the third section, which held the light. A special Fresnel lens was inside. This powerful light could be seen from about 12 nautical miles away!
A Look Back in Time
People first asked for a lighthouse here in 1848. Money for it was set aside in 1851. After some planning, building started in 1854. The lighthouse was a round structure made of wrought iron plates. It cost about $43,000 to build, which was a lot of money back then!
Most of the parts were made in Baltimore. Then, they were shipped by boat to Seven Foot Knoll. Workers put them together on top of the screw piles. Ice was a big problem for these lighthouses. In 1884 and 1894, ice damaged the structure. To protect it, workers piled 790 cubic yards of riprap (large rocks) around the piles.
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The light became automatic in 1949. This meant no keeper was needed anymore. Over time, it started to fall apart. In 1988, the lighthouse was carefully lifted from Seven Foot Knoll. A huge crane carried it to Baltimore's Inner Harbor. The city received it as a gift. On August 22, 1989, it was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Many people helped restore the lighthouse before it opened as a museum.
Brave Rescues
Lighthouse keepers often had dangerous jobs. One brave keeper, Thomas Jefferson Steinhise, worked at Seven Foot Knoll from 1930 to 1941. In 1933, he helped rescue a tugboat crew.
On August 20, 1933, a tugboat named Point Breeze was caught in a terrible storm. Winds blew at 90 miles per hour, and waves were 15 feet high! The crew had to leave their sinking boat. Steinhise took his small motorboat out into the storm. He followed the tug's distress whistle. He managed to pull six crew members from the water. Sadly, one crew member did not survive.
Steinhise received the Silver Lifesaving Medal for his heroic actions. He is remembered for saving those lives.
See also
- List of lighthouses in Maryland
- List of lighthouses in the United States
- Port of Baltimore
