Name and Location

Fort Washington Light, also known as "Fort Washington Harbor Light," is a small lighthouse located in Fort Washington Park, Prince George's County, Maryland, USA. The official address is PX67+W6 Fort Washington, MD 20744, with coordinates 38°42′44.2″ N, 77°02′12.8″ W.

Construction and History

Fort Washington Light was constructed in the late 19th century as part of a small shore station to guide vessels past Fort Washington into Piscataway Creek. The light first shone in 1882, managed by civilian keepers until automation in the early 20th century. The exact date of automation is unrecorded.

Architecture and Materials

The lighthouse features a utilitarian wooden-light tower clad in vertical board-and-batten, painted white. The tower stands at a height of 8.5 meters (28 feet) from base to ventilator ball. The focal plane is approximately 11 meters (36 feet) above water level.

Light and Navigation

The original lens was a fifth-order Fresnel lens, replaced by a modern acrylic beacon installed in the mid-20th century. The light characteristic is white with a flash period of 4 seconds (Fl W 4s). The nominal range is 4 nautical miles, and the sector is omnidirectional.

Accessibility and Visiting

The lighthouse is viewable from Fort Washington Park trails and picnic areas. Tower interior access is closed to the public. Visitors can access the park via Fort Washington Road (MD 210) to the Fort Washington Park entrance; a park fee applies (NPS day-use fee).

Notable Views and Landscape

Visitors can enjoy short riverside paths leading to the base of the lighthouse, photography permitted. The surrounding area features scenic river vistas, bird-watching opportunities, and nearby attractions such as Fort Washington Historic Site, Potomac River shoreline picnic grounds and boat launch, Oxon Hill Farm & picnic pavilion.

Anecdotes and Folklore

Local lore claims that the light keeper's footsteps are heard near the gallery on foggy nights, although no formal ghost story survives. The station once served as a relay lookout during the Spanish–American War period, watching for suspicious vessels approaching Washington, D.C. (anecdotal).

Technical and Operational Details

The lighthouse is managed by the U.S. Coast Guard and operates year-round. It is fully automated, solar-powered with battery backup.

Further Information

For further reading, refer to "Lighthouses of the Chesapeake" by Robert de Gast, Johns Hopkins Univ. Press, 1993; U.S. Coast Guard Light List Volume II (Atlantic Coast), current edition; National Park Service, Fort Washington Park Historic Structure Inventory (NPS–FOWA���HSI); and Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Washington_Light