Watts Island Light

Watts Island Light stood in the Chesapeake Bay near Watts Island, Virginia, on what was originally called Little Watts Island. Built in 1833 by John Donahoo, it was the only one of his thirteen associated lights constructed outside Maryland, giving it a distinctive place in Chesapeake Bay navigation history. The site was precarious because Little Watts Island steadily eroded, losing much of its land by 1923, when the light was automated and most of the island was sold. The abandoned keeper's house later became the home of hermit Charles Hardenberg until his death in 1937. A winter storm destroyed the house and tower in 1944, and even Little Watts Island has since disappeared.

Virginia · United States