Light Hearted 286 – Ken Burke, Piney Point, MD

Light Hearted

Piney Point Lighthouse and keepers house, Maryland.
Photo by Jeremy D’Entremont

This episode has three segments. In the first, photographer Pete Lerro describes a photo workshop he will be leading in Maine in October. In the third segment, Judianne Point discusses some exciting happenings at Chatham Light in Massachusetts and Beavertail Light in Rhode Island. Sandwiched in the middle is a conversation about the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Historic Park in Maryland.

Ken Burke

In 1836, a 35-foot-tall, conical lighthouse was built at Piney Point on the north side of the entrance to the Potomac River. It was the first of 11 lighthouses built on the river, and one of only three that survive today. The property was transferred to St. Mary’s County in 1983. The buildings were restored in the years that followed, and the grounds were transformed into a public park. Today, the park, museum, and the lighthouse are open all year. Our guest today is Ken Burke, museum supervisor for the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum and Historic Park. Ben Ridings, curator for Cape May MAC in New Jersey, is the guest co-host.

A replica Fresnel lens is on display in the museum at Piney Point

The beach at Piney Point

Inside the lighthouse

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