Somers Cove Light

Lighthouse in Maryland, United States

Lighthouse

37°57′59″N 75°52′39″W / 37.9665°N 75.8775°W / 37.9665; -75.8775TowerConstructed1867

Foundationscrew-pileConstructioncast-iron/woodShapesquare houseLightFirst lit1867

Deactivated1932

Lenssixth order Fresnel lens

1932 lighthouse

First lit1932

Deactivated2005

The Somers Cove Light was a screw-pile lighthouse located near Crisfield, Maryland. Dismantled early, its remains are a landmark to watermen in the area.

History

Little is known about this minor light, other than that it was constructed in 1867 to at the cost of $10,000 (equivalent to $218,000 in 2023).^[1] Unlike many other screw-pile lighthouses it was apparently never threatened by ice, and thus passed a quiet life until it was dismantled in 1932, replaced by a skeleton tower. The ferry to Tangier Island passes its remains.

On October 26, 2021, the remains of the light collapsed during a storm.^[2]

References

^ 1634–1699: McCusker, J. J. (1997). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States: Addenda et Corrigenda (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1700–1799: McCusker, J. J. (1992). How Much Is That in Real Money? A Historical Price Index for Use as a Deflator of Money Values in the Economy of the United States (PDF). American Antiquarian Society. 1800–present: Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. "Consumer Price Index (estimate) 1800–". Retrieved February 29, 2024.
^ Cortese, Doug (27 October 2021). "Somers Cove Light House Collapses in Storm".

"Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maryland" (PDF). United States Coast Guard Historian's Office.
Somers Cove Light, from the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society
de Gast, Robert (1973). The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake. Johns Hopkins University Press. p. 167. ISBN 9780801815485.