Thimble Shoal Lighthouse

Year Built

1880

Cost

$39,000

Type

Cylindrical

Height

55 feet

Location

Chesapeake Bay

Automated Year

1964

First Lit

1914

Lens Type

Fourth order Fresnel lens (original), RB-355 aerobeacon (current)

Fog Signal

None

Year Deactivated

Active

Color

Red conical tower on brown cylindrical pier

Last Keeper - Date

Preston F. Meekins (1961 – 1964)

Description

The lighthouse is not open to the public.

Brief History

•  A fire destroyed the lighthouse on October 30, 1880 leaving only the iron work.
•  A replacement light was sent from Lazaretto Depot in Baltimore, MD and the new light was lit on December 24, 1880.
•  On December 27, 1909, the lighthouse was rammed one more time, and this disaster proved to be its undoing.
•  Concrete cisterns in the lighthouse's caisson foundation provided a fresh supply of water for the keepers until 1964, when the light was fully automated.
•  On August 22, 2005, an online auction was opened for Thimble Shoal Lighthouse along with three other offshore lighthouses in Virginia.