Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, located offshore from the southern tip of the peninsula where Annapolis, Maryland, is located, is the last surviving screw-pile lighthouse in Chesapeake Bay. The light station was established in 1838 and the current lighthouse was built in 1875. Today, the City of Annapolis owns the lighthouse. The City leases it to the Chesapeake Chapter of the U.S. Lighthouse Society.

Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, Maryland. 2015 U.S. Lighthouse Society photo by John J Young.

A lifelong Chesapeake Bay sailor, David Gendell is the cofounder of SpinSheet, an Annapolis-based Chesapeake Bay sailing magazine. He’s a U.S. Coast Guard–licensed captain, an accomplished racing sailor, and an earnest fisherman. David’s new book Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse: A Chesapeake Bay Icon, published by The History Press, comes out on October 12.

David Gendell

In addition to covering the history of Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse, the book covers the history of the point, the shoal, and the previous stone lighthouse, as well as the Port of Baltimore. The final section of book is devoted to the ongoing preservation efforts at the lighthouse. A portion of the proceeds from the book will be donated to the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse preservation efforts.