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Craighill Channel Lower Range Front Light is a caisson structure with circular dwelling and tower, located approximately two miles offshore from North Point State Park in the Upper Bay. It is currently up for sale with bidding ending on September 15.
Range lights are used in pairs to mark a channel and there are four in Craighill Channel, as it was such a key approach to the bustling port of Baltimore. Without range lights the channel was unusable at night, so in 1873 work began on the Lower Range Front Light. In order to anchor the foundation, extensive dredging was completed at the site and wooden piles were driven deep into the seabed. The caisson base was assembled in Havre de Grace, MD.
A fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed and a cylindrical one-story dwelling was placed atop the foundation. It contained a kitchen, sitting room, and two bedrooms, with a privy cantilevered from the gallery. Unlike most lighthouses, this one was equipped with two lights; a fixed beacon above the gallery deck and a lens in the lantern room for general navigation.
In May 1964, the lighthouse was automated. During the early 2000s, the non-profit Historical Place Preservation, Inc. took ownership of the lighthouse but unfortunately plans to restore it never materialized and the government regained control of the structure in July 2017. Now it is up for auction through the U.S. General Services Administration.
GSA Auctions states: "Only the structure will be conveyed in the sale. No land will be conveyed. The underlying land will remain in government ownership. The buyer will be obligated to acquire and maintain a right of occupancy accordingly. "
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current bid is at $31,000 with bidding ending at 2 p.m. on September 15. Eight bidders are currently vying for the property. So if you ever thought, 'how cool would it be to live in a lighthouse...' here's your chance to own a piece of history!