Sharkfin Shoal Light stood at the mouth of Maryland’s Nanticoke River where it meets the Chesapeake Bay, serving as a navigational aid in exposed shallow water. Built in 1892 to replace Clay Island Light, it used a screw-pile foundation typical of Chesapeake lighthouses. Its history included service by several recorded keepers and a fatal 1947 boat accident near Tangier Island involving Charles E. Palmquist and G. F. Cotte. In 1950 the light was automated, adopting a timed flashing signal and ending manual operation. In 1964 the original lighthouse house was dismantled and replaced by a skeleton tower, ending the traditional screw-pile structure.