Turkey Point Lighthouse Poster

Turkey Point Lighthouse is located in the Elk Neck State Park. It was authorized by Congress in 1831 and was built in 1833 with a tower and keeper’s quarters by John Donohoo. The tower is 35 feet high and is situated on a 100-foot bluff where the North East and Elk Rivers converge. Originally, the tower had a panel of red glass to warn ships they were approaching the shallows. The beacon was visible for 13 miles and was the highest of 74 lighthouses on the Bay. Only the lighthouse and the oil house remain, the keepers house was torn down by the Coast Guard. This lighthouse was the home of the last woman lighthouse keeper, Fannie Salter. She served from 1925 until she retired in 1947. The lighthouse holds the distinction of being tended by more women keepers than any other lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay.