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Solomons Lump is a shoal on the Kedges Strait
north of Smith Island. In 1872 the Lighthouse Board
recommended construction of a screwpile light
to replace the ineffective shore light at
Fog Point.
In 1874, an appropriation of $15,000 was granted,
and a square structure on five screwpiles
was completed in 1875.
In February 1893, heavy ice toppled the small screwpile.
Keeper Gordon Kellen reported the lighthouse was a
"total wreck" but that he had rescued all equipment
from the house except the fog bell and machinery.
In June a lens lantern was placed on the partially sunken
light until a new light was built. In April 1895
the ruins were washed away, leaving the point temporarily
without any aid to navigation.
In May 1895, construction began on the the new lighthouse.
A caisson was sunk at the light, but was not level.
Leveling efforts sank the caisson an additional 2.5 feet
below the expected depth. An additional cylinder section
was added, the caisson filled with concrete, and work
progressed. The lighthouse was lit in September 1895.
The new lighthouse housed a fixed fifth-order Fresnel
lens. The tower was brick, but the attached residence
was wooden.
In 1950, the isolated station was automated. The wooden
dwelling was demolished, leaving only the caisson and brick tower.
The light remains an active aid to navigation.
Bay Beacons, Turbyville pp. 72-75
The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake, de Gast p. 138
Lighting the Bay: Tales of Chesapeake Lighthouses, Vojtech pp. 55, 173
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