| Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light | |||||||||||||||||
| Location: | East side of Sparrows Point on the north shore of the Patapsco River | ||||||||||||||||
| Coordinates: | 39.2162°N -76.4627°W | ||||||||||||||||
| Yearlit: | 1886 | ||||||||||||||||
| Automated: | 1929 | ||||||||||||||||
| Foundation: | stone | ||||||||||||||||
| Construction: | iron skeleton tower | ||||||||||||||||
| Shape: | pyramidal with square central shaft | ||||||||||||||||
| Characteristic: | Fixed red (originally white) | ||||||||||||||||
| Module: |
| ||||||||||||||||
The Craighill Channel Upper Range Rear Light is one of a pair of range lights that marks the second section of the shipping channel into Baltimore harbor.
This light was constructed in 1885 as part of a range light pair to mark the then newly excavated Craighill Cutoff Channel. A modest iron skeleton tower was erected, pyramidal in form with a wooden, corrugated iron-sheathed square shaft at its center to house the lamp and the access stairway. Its only architectural ornaments were a few windows to light the stairwell and a gallery to allow the outside of the light's window to be cleaned. A keeper's house was built nearby, connected to the light by a brick walk. The original light was a locomotive headlight displaying a fixed white light; this has since been replaced with a more conventional fixture displaying a red light.[1]
The grounds were (and are) surrounded by private property, and in 1888 there was a dispute over access to the light. Other than that the light has passed a quiet life, punctuated only by automation in 1929 and the demolition of the keeper's house. It is still an active aid to navigation.