Episode 44: Drum Point Lighthouse

Curator's Choice

Step aboard a journey through time as we illuminate the remarkable tale of the Drum Point Lighthouse! Your host Ayla Sparks and guest Kevin Allor guide you through the immersive chronicles of this iconic beacon and the dedicated souls who tended to its flame. From guiding vessels through the Chesapeake Bay's misty waters in the 1800s to its triumphant resurgence following years of neglect, the Drum Point Lighthouse's saga is as captivating as the resilient keepers who ensured its luminance never dimmed.

🏡 Cottage-Style Design and Daily Keeper Lives 💡
Step into the quaint quarters of the Drum Point Lighthouse and explore the ingenious screw pile cottage-style design that anchored it in the soft silt of the Chesapeake Bay. Experience the daily challenges of isolation faced by the keepers and delve into their captivating stories forever etched in lighthouse logbooks.

📚 U.S. Lighthouse Service Library Box 📖
Explore the day-to-day life of the Weems and Yeatman families who made it their home. Their narratives, marked by ingenuity and resilience, reveal the reality of living in isolation, relying on innovative solutions for supply deliveries, and the comfort brought by the US Lighthouse Service Library boxes – a fascinating traveling library that brought literary treasures to the keepers and their families.
📜 A Legacy Preserved 🖋️
Through meticulous record-keeping and relics from the Drum Point Lighthouse, this episode pieces together a life of reliance on the Chesapeake's bounty, the innovative use of fog warning systems, and the personal triumphs amidst societal upheavals, including Prohibition and World War II. Heartwarming heroics and lively tales of illicit activities color the history of these guardians of the light.
🔗 Episode Links
Calvert Marine Museum: https://www.calvertmarinemuseum.com/
Send us a text

Support the show

Curator's Choice - A podcast for history nerds and museum lovers

Chapters

1. Episode 44: Drum Point Lighthouse (00:00:00)

2. History of Drum Point Lighthouse (00:02:00)

3. Screwpile Design (00:05:18)

4. Fresnel Lenses (00:09:10)

5. Pre-Fabricated Lighthouses (00:12:00)

6. Who Ran the Lighhouses? (00:13:16)

7. Library Box (00:17:22)

8. Weather Extremes (00:26:06)

9. Daily Life of a Lighthouse Keeper (00:35:25)

10. Calvert Marine Museum (00:40:16)