Name and Location

The Seven Foot Knoll Lighthouse, also known as "Seven-Foot Knoll Light", is located at 39.2835824 N and -76.6053511 W in Baltimore, Maryland, USA. The official address is Pier 5 Waterfront Garden, 719 Eastern Ave, Baltimore, MD 21202, USA.

Construction and History

The lighthouse was built in 1855 to mark a shallow shoal ("seven-foot knoll") in Baltimore Harbor. It was designed by John Donahoo and constructed using cast-iron screw piles on a triangular grid. The original site was the seven-foot shoal, Middle Branch of the Patapsco River, marking the approach to Baltimore Harbor. The purpose was to warn ships of a shallow rise ("seven-foot knoll") in the main shipping channel.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse is a screw-pile lighthouse, with a hexagonal cottage resting on cast-iron piles screwed into the seabed. The foundation consists of cast-iron screw piles on a triangular grid. The structure features cast-iron plate walls with a wood-frame interior. The shape is six-sided ("cottage") with a central lantern room. The height is approximately 39 ft from pile base to roof eaves (total height above piles around 45 ft). The focal plane is approximately 52 ft above mean low water.

Light and Navigation

The original light exhibited a fixed or flashing beacon to inbound vessels, using a fifth-order Fresnel lens. The nominal range was approximately 6 nautical miles.

Accessibility and Visiting

• The lighthouse is now a museum exhibit on the Inner Harbor Waterfront. Visitors can access the structure during staffed hours (Wednesday-Sunday, 10 AM-4 PM) through the Waterfront Promenade. Admission is free of charge, with donations accepted.

Notable Views and Landscape

The lighthouse offers panoramic harbor vistas, including World Trade Center Baltimore, USS Constellation, National Aquarium batch of historic vessels. The surrounding area features a small dock/concrete apron alongside Pier 5 Waterfront Garden, overlooking the Inner Harbor basin.

Anecdotes and Folklore

Local lore claims that the ghost of an 1880s keeper still patrols the tower at night—unverified. Keeper stories include John Greiner (1862-1885), one of the longest-serving keepers, maintaining the light through the Civil War.

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse was automated in the mid-20th century with a nearby skeleton tower replacing the original light. The automatic steel skeleton tower remains in service at the original shoal. The lighthouse is no longer an active aid to navigation.

Further Information

For more information, please visit the Baltimore Office of Promotion & The Arts website or consult references such as Wikipedia, National Register Nomination Form, Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS MD-396), and Lighthouse Atlas of Chesapeake Bay by Bruce F. Roberts and Ray Jones.