{"nrhp_refnum":"02001437","name":"Smith Point Light Station","other_names":[],"category":"structure","location":{"address":"Bamboo Island","address_restricted":false,"city":"Smith Point","county":"Northumberland County","state":"VA","lat":37.87984678000004,"lon":-76.18365162999999,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"2002-12-02","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Maritime History","Transportation","Architecture"],"significance_levels":["local"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"A caisson-type offshore lighthouse in about 20 feet of water on the west side of the Chesapeake Bay, roughly two and a half miles east-southeast of Smith Point, Northumberland County, Virginia. It was completed in 1897 by the U.S. Lighthouse Board.","why_significant":"The nomination argues it reflects federal efforts to build an integrated system of navigational aids for safe shipping in the Chesapeake Bay. It also embodies the pneumatic caisson method of construction that typified Bay lighthouses in the late nineteenth century. It is one of seven pneumatic caisson lighthouses built in the Bay, and the site has been marked by five lighthouses and two lightships since 1802.","narrative":"Smith Point Light Station is an offshore lighthouse standing in about 20 feet of water in the Chesapeake Bay, at the mouth of the Potomac River. Completed in 1897, it rests on a wooden caisson sunk into the shoal and topped by a 30-foot-diameter cast-iron cylinder filled with concrete. Above sits an octagonal two-story brick dwelling with a square tower and an iron lantern. Keeper's quarters, fuel storage and light are all part of one structure. It was built from the same plans as Wolf Trap Lighthouse. The site has been marked since 1802 by several onshore lighthouses, a screwpile lighthouse and lightships, as erosion and ice destroyed earlier structures. It is one of seven pneumatic caisson lighthouses built in the Bay and reflects federal efforts to protect shipping. The light was automated in 1971, and the Coast Guard replaced its power cable in 1988 after public demand. The Coast Guard still owns and manages it, and access is by boat.","period_of_significance":"1897-1952","architect_builder":"U.S. Lighthouse Board","architectural_style":"No Style","criteria":["A","C"],"status_note":"Owned and managed by the U.S. Coast Guard, still used as an active aid to navigation (automated in 1971); reached only by boat.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:52:00.311471-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/lz/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_AK/02001437.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001437/cd5a199d54-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/02001437/cd5a199d54-1600.webp","licence":"CC BY-SA 3.0","author":"GrandmaR","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smith_Point_Lighthouse.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">GrandmaR</a>, <a href=\"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0\" rel=\"license noopener\">CC BY-SA 3.0</a>, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Smith_Point_Lighthouse.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/75325137","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Smith_Point_Light","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q7545272"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/virginia/northumberland-county/smith-point-light-station-02001437/"}