Turkey Point Lighthouse

Constructed in 1833, the Turkey Point Lighthouse is only 35-feet tall, however, its seat on a 100-foot high bluff overlooking the waters below made it the third tallest lighthouse on the bay. Originally, the tower had a red pane of glass to warn ships away from the shallows. Its beacon shone for 13 miles.

The lighthouse was once an important signal for mariners, as it marked the shipping channel’s change in course from the Chesapeake Bay east, to the Elk River and eventually the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal. It's also well known because four out of the 10 keepers who managed the lighthouse were women, encompassing 89 of its 115 years of service. One of these keepers, Fannie Salter, was the last female lighthouse keeper when she retired in 1947 after a 22-year tenure.

In 2000, the Turkey Point Lighthouse was decommissioned and on December 2, 2002, the Turkey Point Light Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places.