Fort Carroll Light

Fort Carroll Light is a wooden lighthouse with a short square tower structure positioned on the walls of a hexagonal fortification in the Patapsco River near Baltimore. The tower sits within the fortress, which occupies an artificial island built to defend the harbor entrance.

The original structure was built in 1854 to help guide ships through the Patapsco River, but it was completely rebuilt in 1900 to fit within the modernized fort. After this reconstruction, it continued serving ships heading toward Baltimore Harbor until becoming inactive in 1964.

A lighthouse keeper once lived alone on this artificial island, maintaining both the light and fog signals as the sole resident of the fortification. This isolated existence shaped daily life on the fortress and made it a symbol of human perseverance in remote posts.

The structure has been inactive for many decades and cannot be visited by the public due to its remote location on the decaying artificial island. You can view it from the mainland if you visit the surrounding area, though access to the island itself is restricted.

The tower was relocated multiple times during various fort modifications and finally settled in its central position on the fortress walls in 1900. These relocations make it an unusual example of a maritime structure that moved with the changing needs of the fortification.

Location: Baltimore County

GPS coordinates: 39.21470,-76.51990

Latest update: December 13, 2025 12:42