Welcome
It's official! The U.S. Lighthouse Society and the Chesapeake Chapter are now the legal and proud owners of the historic Hooper Island Lighthouse!
Background
This lighthouse, three miles off Hooper Island, is the last of four lighthouses constructed by the federal government in Dorchester County, Maryland.
In the spring of 2007 the U.S. Lighthouse Society responded to the National Park Service application request for the transfer of the lighthouse to a non-profit organization through the National Historic Lighthouse Preservation Act of 2000 (NHLPA). On May 31, 2009 the organization received official notice that they had been awarded the lighthouse.
The NHLPA was enacted in 2000 as an amendment of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966. It establishes a multiple step process involving the United States Coast Guard, the General Services Administration (GSA), and the National Park Service. The first step is the determination of the property as "excess to service requirements" by the Coast Guard and its identification as a historic structure. This determination is reported to the GSA and notice is given that application may be made for the structure. In this phase non-profit and/or historical organizations may apply; if application is made and accepted, the lighthouse is simply transferred to the applicant subject to compliance with requirements to maintain the light and make it available to the public. The NPS administers this section of the program. If no suitable applications are received, GSA may put the structure up for sale at auction.