Sandy Point Shoal Light, Lighthouse in Anne Arundel County, United States
Sandy Point Shoal Light is an octagonal brick tower that rises from the waters of the Chesapeake Bay with red walls and a white mansard roof crowning its top. The structure rests on a cylindrical cast-iron caisson foundation filled with concrete, positioned roughly 0.6 miles offshore from Sandy Point near the Bay Bridge.
An earlier land-based structure was built in 1858, but Congress allocated funds in 1882 to construct this new tower in the water to better serve navigation needs. The shift from shore to offshore reflected changing requirements for guiding vessels through the Upper Chesapeake Bay.
The lighthouse serves as a visual landmark that has guided mariners through these waters for generations and remains recognizable from the shore. Its presence marks an important passage point in the Bay that locals and travelers have come to know well.
The tower emits white flashes that remain visible from a considerable distance, helping vessels navigate safely through these waters. The best views come from the shoreline or from boats passing at a safe distance from the structure.
The tower was built using an innovative cylindrical cast-iron caisson foundation, a construction technique that was considered advanced for its time. This method allowed builders to create a stable base directly in the water where earlier structures could not have been anchored.
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