Mathias
Point Shoal Lighthouse was built in 1876. It was a hexagonal screwpile cottage
lighthouse described as resembling a wedding cake. The light had a fifth
order Fresnel lens. It was located between the Port Tobacco River and Potomac
River near the Virginia shoreline upriver from Dahlgren, VA. The lighthouse
was constructed after a Navy steamer ran aground. Mathias Point Shoal Light
was meant to replace Upper Cedar Point Lighthouse, which was two miles upriver.
Upper Cedar Point was reestablished six years later, due to continued requests
from ship captains.
The cottage was dismantled in 1963 and a steel tower was constructed on the original screwpile supports.
The current light can be viewed from Mt. Bethel Recreation Center at Mathias Point in Virginia.
2001(c) Chesapeake Chapter, USLHS. All rights reserved.