Hooper Strait Light in St. Michaels, Maryland.
Credit: Library of Congress
Grades 3-4
Lighthouses have long played an important role in maritime history, using their light to provide direction and warnings to boats. As trade grew in Maryland in the 1800s, lighthouses were built throughout the Chesapeake Bay. The lighthouses used a large glass lens with ridges that magnified the light of an oil lamp that was placed inside the lens. With this special lens, the light could be seen from more than 20 miles away. Today, many of those lighthouses are gone. Some remain as museums, and some are still active.
In this lesson, we will learn about the importance of lighthouses in the Chesapeake Bay, different lighthouse constructions, and the life of a lighthouse keeper.
Teacher's Guide and Related Standards
Students will be able to understand the importance of lighthouses to the Chesapeake Bay region, identify different types of lighthouse construction, and describe the life of a lighthouse keeper.
What is the historical importance of lighthouses in Maryland?
Types of Lighthouse
This interactive map shows 12 lighthouses that are still standing in Maryland. They include the three construction types you learned about in the video – conical tower, caisson, and screw pile. Select the numbers on the map to view each image. Show these images to your students and discuss the features of each lighthouse. Discuss the following questions:
Women Lighthouse Keepers
Turkey Point was not the only lighthouse to have women keepers. At Blackistone Island Lighthouse in St. Mary’s County, Josephine Freeman served as keeper for 36 years. The lighthouse was built near her house when she was a child, and her brother and father served as keepers before her. Read this timeline and interesting information about her life. What was life like at the lighthouse for Josephine and her family?
Tasks and Tools
Lighthouse keepers had a variety of duties. They would have to:
Below is an illustration of lighthouse keepers’ tools of the job. Which objects can you match to their work tasks? Can you make any guesses?
» Lighthouse Keeper's Implements
This learning resource is a production of Maryland Public Television/Thinkport.