Spotlight on: Seven Foot Knoll

Sorry, I am a couple of days late with this post. I do plan on making posts similar to this one a more frequent feature of this blog. Picture coming soon.

Close your eyes and imagine a time when ships were still made of wood and sailed by the ocean winds. Imagine a time when the Chesapeake Bay was clear as a crystal and the blue crab roamed free. Imagine a time when before America turned upon itself in war and find yourself in the year of 1855 in the bustling city of Baltimore, Maryland.

Baltimore had long been a major seaport, but in 1855 (1856 by some accounts), it was determined that the approach to Baltimore's outer harbor was dangerous. A shoal, known as Seven Foot Knoll, located at the mouth of the Patapsco River was the the source of danger for ships sailing into the harbor. Because of this danger, a lighthouse was built to mark the shoal and warn passing ships. The lighthouse became known as Seven Foot Knoll after the shoal upon which it was situated.

The Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse was constructed from iron forged at a local Baltimore foundry, Murray and Hazelhurst. It consisted of cast iron pilings and a corkscrew base which was "screwed" into the soft mud of the bay floor, thus becoming known as a screwpile style lighthouse. Seven Foot Knoll was the second screwpile lighthouse built in the United States and currently the oldest one remaining. The cast iron pilings and corkscrew base raised the lighthouse about nine feet above the high water mark. Because of the Chesapeake's winter ice flows, Seven Foot Knoll employs caisson construction, the only screwpile style lighthouse to use this construction method. Seven Foot Knoll was built with a 4th order Fresnel lens that could project for more than 12 miles into the bay. Total cost of the construction - $43,000.00.

Because the lighthouse sat off shore in the middle of the Bay, lighthouse keepers kept a dory was kept at the lighthouse for the keeper and his family to make trips ashore. In the summer, livestock was kept below the lighthouse and in the winter, the cast iron pilings were enclosed. Three keepers are said to have manned the lighthouse for most of its history. Each keeper earned a week's shore leave per month leaving the other two keepers to work in pairs. In 1875, lighthouse keeper James Bowling and his wife (the assistant keeper) gave birth to a daughter at the lighthouse. The couple named their daughter "Knolie".

In 1948, Seven Foot Knoll was automated by the United States Coast Guard. In 1988, the lighthouse was decommissioned and replaced by a new navigation marker. The U.S. Coast Guard subsequently donated Seven Foot Knoll to the city of Baltimore for historic preservation. The lighthouse was moved by barge some fifteen miles from its original location to Baltimore's inner harbor where it currently resides on Pier 5.

Throughout its history, Seven Foot Knoll faithfully served the city of Baltimore and the Chesapeake Bay. It will likely be best remembered for the lifesaving efforts of its keeper, William (some sources say Thomas) J. Steinheise on Aug 21, 1933. On that day, the Chesapeake Bay was battered by a hurricane that caused the tugboat Point Breeze to capsize. Steinheise left the lighthouse in a small motorized skiff and battled 90 mile an hour plus winds and fifteen foot waves to rescue 5 members of the tugboat's crew. Unable to see through the storm, Steinheise followed the sound of the tugboat's distress whistle. Steinheise was later awarded a Congressional medal for his efforts. This same storm separated the New Point Comfort Lighthouse (Virginia) from the mainland.

Facts
Year Built: 1855/56
Location: Entrance of the Patapsco River, Chesapeake Bay
Height: 40 foot above mean water level
Lens: 4th Order Fresnel
Type: Screwpile
Status: Inactive
Public Access: Grounds/Dwelling

Driving Directions
I-95 to I-395 N (exit 53 Downtown Baltimore). Take the left split towards downtown and stay in the center lane, which will become Howard Street. Continue straight pass the baseball and football stadiums on your left. Turn right at the third stop light. This will be Pratt Street. The lighthouse will be on your right approximately nine blocks ahead.