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TOGA NEWS
Volume III,
Issue 10, October, 2003

Concord Point Lighthouse

Description:
The Concord Point Lighthouse is one of the oldest working lighthouses on the east coast of the United States. Open to the public on weekends during the spring and summer, you can have a panoramic view of the Chesapeake Bay and Susquehanna River.
Historically Concord Point played an important role in the War of 1812. The British were just off shore at Concord Point and city legend has it that John O'Neil manned a cannon single handed to hold them off shore. He was taken captive by the British. However his young daughter rowed out to the British ship and begged for her father release. The British commander was so impressed with her bravery he released her father and gave her his gold snuff  box in honor of her bravery.
Needless to say this story has been told many times over the years and has probably been exaggerated many times. But behind the lighthouse the actual cannon has been restored and has a historical marker.
Address:
Corner of Concord Point and Lafayette Streets.
All the lightkeepers of Concord Point Lighthouse came from the same family. John O'Neil was a hero in the War of 1812, and subsequently rewarded with the post of  lightkeeper. The duties were passed down from one generation to the next until the 1920's, when grandson Harry O'Neil had to surrender the duties to automation.
The light originally housed a 5th order Fresnel lens, but now utilizes a fixed green light as a private aid to navigation.

Sources for this article::
"Confederate Spy: Rose O'Neale Greenhow", by Nash K. Burger
PICTORIAL FIELD-BOOK OF THE WAR OF 1812. BY BENSON J. LOSSING, 1869. CHAPTER XXX.


Cousin Ronald Roland has found some land deeds between his Rowland ancestors and our Bedford County O'Neal's. I haven't gotten around to transcribing them yet, but I did get time to scan in the signatures of our ancestors. Thanks, Ron. Here they are: