Screwpiles: The Forgotten Lighthouses

Image by Sheally

Post Lanterns As commerce increased on inland waterways in the late 1800s, post lanterns marked the entrances to rivers and creeks—as well as shoals and obstructions—that did not warrant a full lighthouse. The post lanterns also served as range lights. Minor lightkeepers maintained some of the post lanterns, but keepers of nearby lighthouses were often also responsible for maintaining the post lanterns as well.

Randall Wharf, Maryland, May 10, 1912 National Archives RG 26 LG 24

This lamp has a unique connection to the Hoffler Creek property in Suffolk, Virginia, dating back to when the Ballard family was still plowing the soil in what is now Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve. John W. Ballard, Jr. was a boy when he found the lantern in the early 1920s. It washed ashore at Floral Point Farm and became a Ballard family treasure. Although little was known about the lantern, the family had it cleaned and refurbished in the 1980s. John W. Ballard III later loaned it to the Hoffler Creek Wildlife Preserve as a display piece.

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