Year first lit 1886 Opened 1886 Material Iron | Foundation stone Height 20 m Automated 1929 Added to NRHP 2 December 2002 | |
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Tower shape pyramidal with square central shaft Characteristic Fixed red (originally white) Similar Craighill Channel Lower Ra, Hawkins Point Light, Solomons Lump Light, Cobb Point Bar Light, Maryland Point Light | ||
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.