- Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light
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Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light 
Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light Location East side of Sparrows Point on the north shore of the Patapsco River Coordinates 39°12′58″N 76°27′46″W / 39.2162°N 76.4627°WCoordinates: 39°12′58″N 76°27′46″W / 39.2162°N 76.4627°W Year first lit 1886 Automated 1929 Foundation stone Construction iron skeleton tower Tower shape pyramidal with square central shaft Height 64 ft Characteristic Fixed red (originally white) Cut-off Channel Range Rear Light StationNearest city: Edgemore, Maryland Area: less than one acre Built: 1886 Governing body: COAST GUARD MPS: Light Stations of the United States MPS NRHP Reference#: 02001423
[1]Added to NRHP: December 02, 2002 The Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light is one of a pair of range lights that marks the second section of the shipping channel into Baltimore harbor.
History
This light was constructed in 1885 as part of a range light pair to mark the then newly-excavated Craighill Cutoff Channel. A modest iron skeleton tower was erected, pyramidal in form with a wooden, corrugated iron-sheathed square shaft at its center to house the lamp and the access stairway. Its only architectural ornaments were a few windows to light the stairwell and a gallery to allow the outside of the light's window to be cleaned. A keeper's house was built nearby, connected to the light by a brick walk. The original light was a locomotive headlight displaying a fixed white light; this has since been replaced with a more conventional fixture displaying a red light.
The grounds were (and are) surrounded by private property, and in 1888 there was a dispute over access to the light. Other than that the light has passed a quiet life, punctuated only by automation in 1929 and the demolition of the keeper's house. It is still an active aid to navigation.
References
- ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2009-03-13. http://nrhp.focus.nps.gov/natreg/docs/All_Data.html.
- "Historic Light Station Information and Photography: Maryland". United States Coast Guard Historian's Office. http://www.uscg.mil/history/weblighthouses/LHMD.asp.
- Craighill Range Lighthouses, from the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society
- Craighill Channel Upper Rear Lighthouse at lighthousefriends.org
External links
- http://www.craighillrange.org
- Rowlett, Russ. "Lighthouses of the United States: Maryland". The Lighthouse Directory. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. http://www.unc.edu/~rowlett/lighthouse/md.htm.
- Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Craighill Channel Range Lights
U.S. National Register of Historic Places in Maryland Lists by county Allegany • Anne Arundel • Baltimore County • Calvert • Caroline • Carroll • Cecil • Charles • Dorchester • Frederick • Garrett • Harford • Howard • Kent • Montgomery • Prince George's • Queen Anne's • Somerset • St. Mary's • Talbot • Washington • Wicomico • Worcester
Lists by city Other lists 
Craighill Channel (lower) Upper Craighill Channel (cutoff) Seven Foot Knoll Light • Front Range Light • Rear Range LightBrewerton Channel Hawkins Point Light (front range) • Leading Point Light (rear range)Categories:- National Register of Historic Places in Maryland
- Buildings and structures completed in 1886
- Baltimore County, Maryland
- Baltimore County, Maryland Registered Historic Place stubs
- Lighthouses in Maryland
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