SEVEN-FOOT KNOLL LIGHTHOUSE

Inner Harbor, Baltimore, MD

Seven-Foot Knoll lighthouse was the second screwpile structure to be built by the U.S. Lighthouse Service.  It was originally located 15 miles southeast of this location.  The 42 foot high round screwpile lighthouse was completed by Baltimore “ironfounders” firm of Murray and Hazelhurst in 1856 at a cost of more than $30,000.  It was constructed of rolled-iron plates, drilled and riveted together and supported on nine cast-iron screwpiles.  The screwpiles eliminated the need for an underwater masonry foundation. 

The light at Seven-Foot Knoll marked the outer entrance to Baltimore’s busy harbor.  It was manned from 1856 until 1948, when the Coast Guard automated the lighthouse.  In 1988, Seven-Foot Knoll lighthouse was officially retired.  With the help of a barge and a 400 ton crane, the screwpile lighthouse was moved to Pier 5 in Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.  Today this lighthouse is a National Historic Seaport landmark welcoming visitors daily.

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