Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light

{{Infobox lighthouse

| name = Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light

| image = Craighill Cut-off Channel Range Rear Light Station (Baltimore County, Maryland).jpg

| caption = Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light

| location = East side of Sparrows Point on the north shore of the Patapsco River

| coordinates = {{coord|39|12|58.32|N|76|27|45.72|W|region:US_type:landmark|display=inline,title}}

| yearlit = 1886

| automated = 1929

| yeardeactivated =

| foundation = stone

| construction = iron skeleton tower

| shape = pyramidal with square central shaft

| height = {{convert|64|ft}}

| lens =

| range =

| characteristic = Fixed red (originally white)

| module = {{Infobox NRHP

| name = Cut-off Channel Range Rear Light Station

| embed = yes

| nrhp_type =

| image =

| caption =

| nearest_city = Edgemore, Maryland

| built = 1886

| architect =

| architecture =

| added = December 02, 2002

| area = less than one acre

| mpsub = Light Stations of the United States MPS

| refnum = 02001423{{NRISref|version=2009a}}

}}

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.{{cite web|url=https://mht.maryland.gov/secure/medusa/PDF/NR_PDFs/NR-1318.pdf |title=National Register of Historic Places Registration: Cut-off Channel Range Rear Light Station|date=February 1996|access-date=2016-03-01 |author=Ralph E. Eshelman|publisher=Maryland Historical Trust}}

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.

References

{{cite uscghist|MD}}
[http://www.cheslights.org/heritage/craighill.htm Craighill Range Lighthouses], from the Chesapeake Chapter of the United States Lighthouse Society
[http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=418 Craighill Channel Upper Rear Lighthouse] at lighthousefriends.org

External links

http://www.craighillrange.org
{{cite rowlett|md}}
[http://cblights.com/lights/craighillchannelrange.html Chesapeake Bay Lighthouse Project - Craighill Channel Range Lights]
{{MHT url|id=1410|title=Cut-off Channel Range Rear Light Station, Baltimore County}}, at Maryland Historical Trust