LEONARDTOWN, Md. – The St. Mary’s County Museum Division, which oversees several museums and historic sites throughout the county, has added yet another brand-new exhibit to Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, a replica 5th Order Fresnel Lens.
This intricate and unique lens, an exact reproduction of the original apparatus that once lit Piney Point Lighthouse’s tower and guided mariners to safety on the Potomac, was purchased from, created and installed by Florida-based company Artworks Florida Classic Fresnel Lenses, LLC, after several years of fundraising by the Friends of St. Clement’s Island & Piney Point Museums. The reproduction lens is a complex and intricate device and costs around $30,000 to produce.
Though Piney Point Lighthouse once utilized a 5th Order Fresnel Lens when in operation, during the many years since being decommissioned the lens was lost to history. When developing the recently installed exhibits at Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, the St. Mary’s County Museum Division and the Friends of St. Clement’s Island & Piney Point Museums wanted to add something exciting as the focal point of the new displays. Bringing back an exact replica of Piney Point’s once-used Fresnel Lens was chosen as the perfect centerpiece. Future plans for the exhibition include exhibit panels and a “Learn About the Lens” program for visitors.
Dan Spinella, owner of Artworks Florida Classic Fresnel Lenses, installed the lens February 20, 2021. The company, established in 1992, custom designs and manufactures historic full-scale reproduction Fresnel lenses that were used to illuminate lighthouses in the 1800s. Along with their full reproduction work, they also reproduce components used in the restoration of original Fresnel lenses. These lenses are used in interpretive exhibits at museums as well as private aids to navigation in many lighthouses around the United States.
Invented and developed by French physicist Augustin Fresnel in the early 1800s, Fresnel lenses revolutionized the way lighthouses illuminated the waterways of the world. This ingenious contraption utilized a complex system of lenses, mirrors and panels rotated by a weighted clockwork mechanism with gears and cables like a grandfather clock. This allowed the lens to rotate at specific speeds depending on the lighthouse’s lighting requirements. This allowed it to radiate much more light in all directions, something previous lighting methods did not allow. Because of the design, these lenses are not only engineering marvels, but also incredible works of art.
For more information about this exhibit or how to visit and take a tour of Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, please call 301-994-1471 or visit Facebook.com/1836Light.
About the St. Mary’s County Museum Division
The St. Mary’s County Museum Division was established by the Commissioners of St. Mary’s County to collect, preserve, research and interpret the historic sites and artifacts which illustrate the natural and cultural histories of St. Mary’s County and the Potomac River. With this as its charter, the Museum Division serves as a resource, liaison and community advocate for all St. Mary’s County public and private cultural assets. For more information regarding hours of operation, programs, events, admission prices and more, visit the St. Mary’s County Museum Division’s social media pages on Facebook at Facebook.com/SCIMuseum, Facebook.com/1836Light, Facebook.com/DraydenSchool or Facebook.com/TheOldJailMuseum, or on Twitter at @StClemIsMuseum, @OldJailMuseum or @PineyPtLHMuseum, or at Museums.StMarysMD.com.
