In 1824 Congress appropriated $6000 for construction of a lighthouse to mark Thomas Point Shoal. The shoal is four miles south of Annapolis, and extends from the north side of the South River. A young contractor named John Donahoo was assigned to construct the light on seven acres of land on Thomas Point purchased for $529.69. Although Donahoo would go on to build many Chesapeake Bay lights, some of which remain today, his light at Thomas Point was short-lived. Originally built 500 feet from shore, by 1838 water approached within 15 feet of the light. Endangered by erosion, a new tower was commissioned in 1838. The light was constructed by Winslow Lewis, who used components of the original light to build a new tower set further back from the bay at a cost of $2500. A small fifth-order Fresnel lens was installed in 1855.

Lewis' light would stand until 1894, when it collapsed due to erosion. However, the tower was replaced by a new lighthouse well before it fell. In the Lighthouse Board report of 1872, the weak shore light was considered to be of little use, as the shoal had grown considerably larger. The fog bell was inaudible. The structure itself was in a state of disrepair. The Board recommended a new light built at the end of the shoal, rather than at the site of the old light.

Congress originally appropriated $20,000 for a new light, but the Lighthouse Board's plans for a caisson light at the site required an additional $25,000. $15,000 was ultimately appropriated, but a screwpile light was built at the site. This decision was made despite the fact that several of the screwpile lighthouses in the Chesapeake had suffered severe damage due to ice. The light was completed in 1875, and a 3 1/2 order lens installed at the station.

In 1877 the new structure was damaged by ice. The lens toppled and required replacement. The 1838 tower was briefly relit while repairs were made to the screwpile. A fourth-order lens was installed. A large iron ice-breaker was installed 90 feet from the light, and rip-rap deposited between 1886-1887. The site of the shore light was sold in 1914 for $426 - much less than its purchase price 90 years earlier.

The station evolved in the first half of the 20th century. Incandescent oil vapor lamps replaced kerosene lamps in 1913. A generator was added in 1933, and the light electrified in 1934. A diaphone fog signal was installed in 1938, and a radio beacon in 1951.

By 1964, the only manned light on the bay was Thomas Point Shoal. Four Coast Guardsmen manned the station - three on at any given time. A keeper spent 21 days on station and 7 off. In 1970 the number of keepers was reduced to three - two on, one off, with a keeper on two weeks and off one week.

In 1972, the Coast Guard announced plans to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the light. In the case of screwpile lights, this typically mean destroying the cottage portion of the light and placing an automated beacon on the pilings. The proposal met with a storm of public opposition. The Coast Guard backed down, and the light was made a National Historic Landmark in 1975. The last screwpile in its original location was also the last manned light on the bay until automated in 1986.

Thomas Point is the last screwpile lighthouse on the Chesapeake still in its original location. In 2004, a partnership was formed between the city of Annapolis, the Chesapeake Chapter of the US Lighthouse Society, the Annapolis Maritime Museum, and Anne Arundel County. The lighthouse was transferred to the city of Annapolis. The other three groups are to provide management, exhibits, access via tours, and preservation expertise. Restoration work and associated fund-raising is ongoing. The Coast Guard replaced the storage platform below the lighthouse that had been destroyed by Hurricane Isabel in 2003. As of early 2006, over $180,000 had been raised to restore the lighthouse.

References (see links)

Bay Beacons, Turbyville pp. 40-43
The Lighthouses of the Chesapeake, de Gast p. 79
Lighting the Bay: Tales of Chesapeake Lighthouses, Vojtech p. 161
Mid-Atlantic Lighthouses, Roberts and Jones p. 60
The Keeper's Log Spring 2004, Summer 2004, Winter 2005, Spring 2005, Summer 200, Fall 2005, Winter 2006, Spring 2006
Thomas Point Shoal website