Point Lookout Lighthouse

We had another damp yet mild day. I originally planned to read but when we received texts saying we had meds ready at the pharmacy, we decided to take a ride out. Hubby gathered Damp Rid containers for our camper. They minimize the risk of mold and mildew while it is closed up in the winter. He actually uses some year round. After leaving the base, I asked if we could visit Pt. Lookout State Park and Lighthouse. The sun was out and we had a beautiful blue sky for a nice back drop. Here is a bit of history I obtained from the Web. The lighthouse sits at the southern most tip of the western side of Maryland. The land is a peninsula bordered by the Chesapeake Bay and Potomac River. The first keeper, James Davis, lit the light on September 20, 1830. On January 11, 1966, Raymond Hartzel darkened the lighthouse for the final time. It was replaced with an off shore steel tower. It is the oldest of its type and most haunted lighthouse in America. Point Lookout was used as a Confederate prisoner of war camp during the Civil War. In 1862, the federal government erected Hammond Hospital at the tip of the Point to care for injured soldiers. In 1863, after the Battle of Gettysburg, Union authorities started sending Confederate prisoners to Point Lookout for incarceration. Of the 50,000 men held at the Point between 1863 and 1865, nearly 4,000 died. Nearby, a Confederate Memorial has been erected. This area is now part of a Maryland State Park. My mother lives only seven miles north of Point Lookout. Her maternal grandparents own much of the area just outside the park. We went to visit her since she is at her house on Mondays and Tuesday mornings. They still have the weekly Monday evening card party. My sister Barbara made homemade vegetable beef soup for their guests. I received stolen and cookies from our German friends so I shared them with Momma. She really likes those soft apricot filled/chocolate covered heart shaped gingerbread cookies. I also gave her a tin of cookies I made and a pretty “Gigi” ornament that was accidentally left out of her other packages Christmas morning. She was happy with our visit. We picked up cheese and bananas on the way home. I made us a nice chef salad for a late lunch. Then it was time for naps. We’ll have soup later if we get hungry. As we wind down 2024, we are enjoying the quieter moments. Hoping you can as well. Stay safe. Thanks for your visit. “To be a lighthouse, you must be strong enough to resist every kind of storm, to every kind of loneliness and you must have a powerful light inside you!” – Mehmet Murat Ildan