Sharps Island Light facts for kids
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| Sharps Island Light, 2009 | |
 Sharps Island Light
Location in Maryland
Sharps Island Light
Location in the United States
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| Location | SW of Tilghman Island, Chesapeake Bay, Maryland |
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| Coordinates | 38°38′21″N 76°22′33″W / 38.6391°N 76.3757°W |
| Year first lit | 1838 (original), 1866 (second), 1882 (current) |
| Automated | 1938 |
| Deactivated | 2010 |
| Foundation | Concrete caisson |
| Construction | Cast iron |
| Tower shape | Frustum of a cone |
| Height | 35 feet (11 m) |
| Original lens | Fourth-order Fresnel |
| Current lens | 9.8 inches (250 mm) acrylic |
The Sharps Island Light is the third lighthouse to stand nearly 3 miles (5 km) south-southwest from the southern end of Tilghman Island in Maryland's Chesapeake Bay. The structure is best known today for evoking the Leaning Tower of Pisa, a condition caused by an ice floe in 1977.
The first lighthouse was built on Sharps Island in 1838, but due to the island's erosion it was moved in 1848. This was replaced with a screwpile lighthouse in 1866 near the original location of the first structure.
The second lighthouse lasted until 1881 when it was forced off its foundations by an ice floe. It floated nearly five miles down the Chesapeake—with its keepers still inside—until it ran aground, allowing the men to escape unharmed.
The current light, a sparkplug lighthouse, was constructed in 1882 with a concrete caisson foundation and a 35-foot (11 m) cast iron tower. The fourth-order Fresnel lens was replaced with a 9.8-inch (250 mm) lens in 1977; the focal plane is 54 feet (16 m) above sea level. The tower includes an integral dwelling and was manned until 1938 when the United States Coast Guard automated the light. Leaning by about 15° since it was ice-damaged in 1977, the structure is picturesque, but in poor condition.
The Sharps Island Light was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (reference # 82002821) on July 22, 1982. It is one of the many historic features along Captain John Smith Chesapeake National Historic Trail.
It is also on the Lighthouse Digest Doomsday List of endangered lighthouses.
As of 2006, the lighthouse was a candidate for sale under the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act. It was deactivated in January 2010.
Images for kids
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1885 photo of lighthouse, when it was still upright
