Hooper Strait, MD

Following a series of trials and errors to find a workable means of lighting the Tangoes Passage on Chesapeake Bay, a screw pile sentinel was successfully build and illuminated on October 15, 1879. For the next nine decades, Hooper Strait Light aided ships traveling the circuitous route to Maryland ports, but the isolation was difficult and long for its keepers. Two light-keepers manned the sentinel, and each received a five day shore leave every month, with family visits to the lighthouse permitted for two weeks each summer. In 1966 the lighthouse was deactivated and its duties replaced with new technologies. Because upkeep of the structure was prohibitive, officials planned to demolish the old beacon. Instead, it was purchased by the Chesapeake bay Maritime Museum, and moved in two sections to the museum at St. Michael?s. There it was resembled on cement pilings. Thanks to the dedication of the museum and its members, a vital link in America?s lighthouse legacy has been preserved for posterity. In 2004 Hooper Strait Light observed 125 years as a symbol of maritime courage and strength? beckoning lighthouse loves to honor its heritage.