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Hooper Island lighthouse lies halfway up the Chesapeake,
off Hooper Island on the east side of the bay. A lighthouse
was requested for the site in 1897. Funds were appropriated
in 1898, but was delayed when the first company contracted
to build the lighthouse failed to even begin construction.
A second contract was issued in 1900. The caisson was sunk
in 1901 and the lighthouse completed in 1902.
The 63-foot caisson light stood in 18 feet of water,
and housed a fourth-order Fresnel lens. A fog bell,
cast by McShane Bell Foundry of Baltimore, was also installed.
A foghorn was installed in the 1930's. The lighthouse was
automated in 1961. In 1976, the Fresnel lens was stolen.
The lens was replaced by a modern optic.
Bay Beacons, Turbyville pp. 64-67
The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake, de Gast p. 135
Lighting the Bay: Tales of Chesapeake Lighthouses, Vojtech p. 178
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