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Solomons Lump Light in Maryland’s Chesapeake Bay marks a shoal near Smith Island and the approach to Kedges Strait, a hazardous passage long needing protection. Its history began with Fog Point Light in 1827, followed by a screw-pile lighthouse built in 1875 after the earlier light proved inadequate; ice destroyed that structure in 1893. In 1895 a stronger caisson lighthouse was completed, though soft bottom conditions forced changes during construction, including extra plates above the sunken foundation. The light later received a replacement Fresnel lens, was automated in 1950, and now survives as a reduced but still working example of changing Chesapeake Bay lighthouse engineering.
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Smith Island, Maryland · United States
