Constructed in 1833, the Turkey Point Lighthouse is only 35-feet tall, however, its seat on a 100-foot high bluff overlooking the waters below made it the third tallest lighthouse on the bay. 

The lighthouse was once an important signal for mariners, as it marked the shipping channel’s change in course from the Chesapeake Bay east, to the Elk River and eventually the Chesapeake & Delaware (C&D) Canal. It’s also well known because four out of the 10 keepers who managed the lighthouse were women, encompassing 89 of its 115 years of service. 

In 2000, the Turkey Point Lighthouse was decommissioned and on December 2, 2002, the Turkey Point Light Station was added to the National Register of Historic Places.