Around Annapolis: Thomas Point Lighthouse offers glimpse back in time

Diane M. Rey - 

The only link Howard Lewis has to the great-grandfather he never knew is a 100-plus-year-old hutch Charles Hartmann made when he served as a keeper's assistant at the Thomas Point Shoal Lighthouse.

Lewis, who lives in Eastport, figures his ancestor passed the time when the weather was fair perfecting his craftsmanship of the carved mahogany piece.

A volunteer with the U.S. Lighthouse Society, Lewis transports modern-day craftsmen and volunteers on his 40-foot deadrise workboat to the lighthouse near the mouth of the South River. The crews are working to restore the iconic structure that sits about a mile and a half offshore just south of Annapolis.

Thomas Point's cottage-like quaintness makes it one of the most photographed lighthouses in the country. But from 1898 to 1901, when Hartmann manned the light, it may have seemed more prison-like than homey. The male keepers typically spent three weeks on the watch without returning to shore. Wives and children were not allowed to join them.

"To me it would be very isolating. And you wouldn't have the ship and boat traffic you have nowadays," remarked Lewis. "You can stand there and put yourself in another world and say, 'How could they do this?' "

Visitors will have the chance to ponder that question for themselves on public tours this weekend. A few spaces still remain for tours Saturday and Sunday. Tours will also be held in August.

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