Plans

We intend to focus on the historic preservation of the lighthouse, and to use the historic site for public education and cultural activities. Our goal is to open the offshore lighthouse for public tours, initially on weekends during the boating season.

Our vision of a lighthouse “tour” starts with a visit to the Annapolis Maritime Museum, which will serve as our primary shore-based component. Visitors will be given an overview of the lighthouse at the Museum, which will contain special exhibits for this purpose. After a short stay, visitors would then depart from the Museum’s dock to the lighthouse on one of our guided tour boats, arrive at the lighthouse, and board it.

Each tour would be limited in size to about 15 visitors because of the space limitations on the lighthouse and on the tour boats.

It is our intent to preserve and restore parts of the interior of the lighthouse to represent the early 20th century, and parts of it to represent the Coast Guard years circa 1950.

After a roughly 45-minute tour, the visitors would then be taken back to shore at the Museum.

Condition of the Lighthouse

The lighthouse was automated and unmanned in 1986 and is in very good condition, both internally and externally, as assessed by our lighthouse preservationists during a May 2003 visit to the structure, and as documented in recent work conducted by the United States Coast Guard. Because it is in such good shape, the effort that will require the most work is restoring parts of the interior of the lighthouse to interpret the early 20th century.

We plan to start routine maintenance work immediately upon conveyance of the lighthouse. A team has just conducted an inspection and assessment. See the photos. In parallel, we will develop detailed preservation, restoration, and interpretation plans, and then hire historic preservation architects and contractors to conduct the work.

We estimate that it will take five years to complete all of the planned preservation and restoration work. Our plan, however, would be to start limited public tours as soon as possible, perhaps as early as the late summer of 2004.

We believe that the joint forces of city and county government, a non-profit maritime museum, and a major non-profit lighthouse organization offer the best long-term approach to preserving and using Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, balancing the needs of the public in the communities closest to the lighthouse with the specialized knowledge required for its care.

The United States Lighthouse Society and its Chesapeake Chapter have extensive experience in lighthouse preservation. The Society has preserved and operates the Lightship RELIEF (WLV-605), and maintains and operates the New Dungeness Lighthouse.

The Chesapeake Chapter participates and contributes to lighthouse and lightship preservation efforts throughout the region, and has assisted the Coast Guard in maintaining Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse.

The Annapolis Maritime Museum will serve as the shore side introduction point for visitors to the lighthouse. Tours will depart from the Museum's McNasby Building once its docks have been renovated from damage brought about by Hurricane Isabel. The Museum will also house a permanent exhibit that will interpret the structure’s significance thus making visits more meaningful.

The City of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County also bring a wealth of historic preservation and public use experience to the partnership.

The lighthouse will continue to be an active and Coast Guard-maintained aid to navigation.

NHLPA Application