Posts Tagged Pooles Island Lighthouse

Seventy-two years of darkness was overthrown with the flick of a switch as Aberdeen Proving Ground relit the Pooles Island Lighthouse, the oldest standing lighthouse on the Chesapeake Bay at about 9 p.m. May 21.

More than 300 spectators watched the show from the Spirit of Baltimore as part of a cruise sponsored by the Harford County Chamber of Commerce, Office of Economic Development, and the Army Alliance in cooperation with Aberdeen Proving Ground.

Among those watching the historic event were APG and Research, Development and Engineering Command Commander Maj. Gen. Nick Justice and APG Garrison Commander Col. Orlando Ortiz. A representative of Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley was also present to read a proclamation commemorating the occasion. A number of leaders from the civilian communities around Aberdeen Proving Ground also attended.

The night sky

Justice and Ortiz led a ceremony from the open top deck of the ship to mark the event from within sight of the lighthouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. As darkness settled on the historic island the two Army leaders joined the leaders of the Chamber and the Alliance who fired a flare into the night sky.

That signaled a team ashore to fire eight cannon shots, the last of which was followed by the lighthouse’s beacon piercing the night for the first time in decades. The beacon began blinking in a four-three pattern to alert mariners they are passing the home of Team APG.

That signal brought on a great sense of accomplishment for Terri Kaltenbacher, the project officer for the restoration.

“Back in the 90s, there was some talk of relighting the lighthouse, but nothing ever came to fruition until current senior leadership expressed interest. Fifteen years later, it was almost surreal to see it light up again,” Kaltenbacher said. “All the hard work by APG and our community partners has paid off handsomely–we now have a historic landmark to be proud of, whose flash will be a constant reminder of this celebration.”

She said the fact people got to see it from the water as mariners will added a layer of meaning to the event.

The experience

“Sharing that experience with 325 people on the Bay, on a gorgeous Saturday evening, was magnificent. This was the first cruise celebration that APG has ever participated in, and it went smoothly with everyone having a fabulous time,” she said.

Ortiz put the importance of the event in context by sharing some of the history of APG with those aboard during his opening remarks. He oriented the guests to APG as seen from the Bay and recounted the post’s history of accomplishments and support to the Army and the nation since it was established during World War I.

“For example, ENIAC, the first electronic digital computer, was developed for the Ordnance Corps and operated here,” he said. “The installation developed and tested machine guns, armored vehicles, rockets, anti-aircraft guns and bombsights. Some of the more notable technologies developed or tested here include the JEEP, flamethrowers used during the Korean War, the M-1 Tank and the NASA lunar rover.”

“That focus on research, development and testing has sharpened during the installation’s current transformation with the loss of the Ordnance Center and School and the addition of units such as the Army Test and Evaluation Command and the Army team that develops and fields equipment for the service’s critical Command, Control, Communications and Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance missions,” Ortiz said.

This change led O’Malley to note in his proclamation that, “by illuminating the lighthouse, the installation is lighting a path to the Army’s future in research, development, engineering, and contingency response efforts.”

The installation’s focus on the future is matched by its care for the past, Ortiz said.

“Our support to our nation goes well beyond the contributions we make to national defense,” he said. “As you can see with tonight’s event, we’re dedicated to preserving our history. We are also dedicated to protecting our nation’s environmental resources.”

Ortiz noted that the installation’s most prominent success story is its Bald Eagle Management Program, which has helped increase the number of bald eagle nests from one in 1965 to 112 today.

The big picture

But the land around the lighthouse is a microcosm of the larger success of turning thousands of acres back into forests teeming with perhaps the most diverse and thriving wildlife population on the Bay.

“Prior to the Army’s 1917 purchase of the property, the land that is now APG was open fields with very little wildlife remaining. Although the bay itself remained bountiful as far as aquatic wildlife and ducks were concerned. The trees had been used to build houses and the land primarily used to support the farming effort. Much of the wetlands were drained to support farming.

“Mother nature has a way of returning the flora and fauna, however, and Soldiers helped by bringing back the deer, introducing the beaver and raising pheasant and quail for release. Other wildlife began to arrive on their own, and today the installation is one of the best locations on the east coast for all types of hunting and fishing and home to an impressive population of wildlife,” Ortiz said.

Family reunion

A living link to that time was a group more than 30 descendents of the last longtime lighthouse keeper Capt. Stephen Andrew Cohee, who used the occasion to gather for a family reunion.

Justice summed up the swell of emotion by thanking the group during his brief remarks right after the relighting.

“Thank you for joining us here tonight I can only imagine what witnessing this event must mean to you, because I get goose bumps just to be able to bring this piece of history back to Maryland,” Justice said.  (To view more photographs click here)