Drum Point Light

Off the tip of Drum Point where the Patuxent River meets the Chesapeake Bay stood a screw‑pile lighthouse, now preserved at the Calvert Marine Museum in Solomons, Maryland. The original site was about 38.319° N, 76.421° W, marking the river’s mouth.

The tower rests on a screw‑pile foundation and takes the form of a hexagonal house constructed of cast‑iron and wood, rising 46 ft tall. Its original fourth‑order Fresnel lens projected a beam visible for 13 nmi.

Congress first earmarked $5,000 for a light at Drum Point in 1854 after a 1853 report, and later approved $25,000 in 1882, but construction did not begin until July 17 1883 when seven 10‑inch wrought‑iron screw piles were driven into the riverbed. The beacon was first lit on August 20 1883. It became semi‑automated in 1960 and was deactivated on September 6 1962, ending its service as an aid to navigation. The station is one of only four surviving Chesapeake Bay screw‑pile lighthouses.

After decommissioning, the light was transferred to the Calvert Marine Museum, where it is presented to the public as a historic exhibit. The museum maintains the tower and displays it for visitors today.

Light and tower

It was first lit in 1883. It was automated in 1960.