The Holland Island Bar Light was a

screw-pile lighthouse A screw-pile lighthouse is a lighthouse which stands on piles that are screwed into sandy or muddy sea or river bottoms. The first screw-pile lighthouse to begin construction was built by the blind Irish engineer Alexander Mitchell. Construction ...

in the

Chesapeake Bay The Chesapeake Bay ( ) is the largest estuary in the United States. The Bay is located in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic region and is primarily separated from the Atlantic Ocean by the Delmarva Peninsula (including the parts: the ...

which existed from 1889 to 1960. It is remembered for the unexplained death of one of its keepers, and for being "attacked" by

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

pilots during a training exercise.

History

The lighthouse was built in 1889 south of

Holland Island Holland Island was a marshy, rapidly eroding island in the Chesapeake Bay, in Dorchester County, Maryland, west of Salisbury. The island was once inhabited by watermen and farmers but has since been abandoned as sinking of the land's surface as ...

Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...

, a small fishing community. It was completed for $35,000, and was outfitted with a fourth-order

Fresnel lens A Fresnel lens ( ; ; or ) is a type of composite compact lens developed by the French physicist Augustin-Jean Fresnel (1788–1827) for use in lighthouses. It has been called "the invention that saved a million ships." The design allows the c ...

. In 1905 the Lighthouse Board considered turning the station into one of a pair of

range light Leading lights (also known as range lights in the United States) are a pair of light beacons used in navigation to indicate a safe passage for vessels entering a shallow or dangerous channel; they may also be used for position fixing. At night ...

s, but this plan eventually fell through. The house was dismantled in 1960; it was replaced by an automated beacon mounted on the original foundation.

Death of Ulman Owens

On March 31, 1931, keeper

Ulman Owens Ulman Owens (1878 - March 11, 1931) was an American lighthouse keeper. He is chiefly remembered today for the mysterious circumstances surrounding his death. Owens became a lighthouse keeper in 1911, and served much of his career at the Holland ...

was found dead at the station under mysterious circumstances. Though there was blood and evidence of a struggle, no wounds were found on his body and the death was ruled natural.

Friendly-fire incident

The lighthouse stood near the hulk of an old ship, the ''Hannibal'', which was frequently used for

target practice In the military and in shooting, target practice are exercises in which weapons are shot at a target. The purpose of such exercises is to improve the aim or the weapons handling expertise of the person firing the weapon. Targets being shot at ...

Navy A navy, naval force, or maritime force is the branch of a nation's armed forces principally designated for naval warfare, naval and amphibious warfare; namely, lake-borne, riverine, littoral zone, littoral, or ocean-borne combat operations and ...

fighters. On February 19, 1957, three ADSN Skyraiders from the Naval Air Station at

Atlantic City, New Jersey Atlantic City, often known by its initials A.C., is a coastal resort city in Atlantic County, New Jersey, United States. The city is known for its casinos, boardwalk, and beaches. In 2020, the city had a population of 38,497.

bombed the light; their pilots had mistaken the structure for the hulk of the ''Hannibal''. Three practice rockets hit the light. Although they carried no explosives, they still managed to tear holes in the roof and walls, and damaged several of the

iron Iron () is a chemical element with symbol Fe (from la, ferrum) and atomic number 26. It is a metal that belongs to the first transition series and group 8 of the periodic table. It is, by mass, the most common element on Earth, right in f ...

pilings as well. The keepers called the

United States Coast Guard The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...

, which sent aid. Although the four men were evacuated, they returned the next day to begin repairs.

References

History of the light
*

from the Chesapeake Chapter of the

United States Lighthouse Society The United States Lighthouse Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to aiding in the restoration of American lighthouses and educating the public about their history. With four chapters, and more than a dozen affiliates, it is one of the ...

External links

* {{authority control Lighthouses completed in 1889 Lighthouses in Maryland 1960 disestablishments in Maryland Transportation buildings and structures in Dorchester County, Maryland Lighthouses in the Chesapeake Bay 1889 establishments in Maryland