LEONARDTOWN, MD – St. Mary’s County Government’s Museum Division welcomes all community members to join in celebrating National Lighthouse Weekend on Saturday, August 5 and Sunday, August 6, 2023, at both the Piney Point Lighthouse in Piney Point, MD, and Blackistone Lighthouse on St. Clement’s Island, near Colton’s Point, MD. The museums will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and tours will be available at both locations during the weekend.

At Colton’s Point, check out the St. Clement’s Island Museum before taking a boat ride out to St. Clement’s Island, where visitors can experience a free tour of Blackistone Lighthouse from the volunteers with the St. Clement’s Hundred. Admission rates at St. Clement’s Island Museum are $3.00 for adults, $1.50 for children (6-18), $2.00 for seniors and military, and free for age 5 and under. The St. Clement’s Island Water Taxi is $7.00 per person (all ages) for boat ride, which includes museum admission.

At Piney Point, visitors can explore the museum grounds and celebrate the oldest lighthouse on the Potomac with tours of the Piney Point lighthouse tower, Keeper’s Quarters, Potomac River Maritime Exhibit featuring full sized workboats, and two floors of exhibitions in the Main Museum building. While admission and tours are offered free of charge this weekend only, donations are greatly appreciated to support the museum.

National Lighthouse Day, designated by Congress on August 7, 1989, is the anniversary of the signing of the Congressional Act “for the establishment and support of lighthouses, beacons, buoys, and public piers” and the date of the first commissioned Federal lighthouse.

For more information, please call the St. Clement’s Island Museum at (301) 769-2222 or visit Facebook.com/SCIMuseum or call the Piney Point Lighthouse Museum at (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. These sites include St. Clement’s Island Museum, Piney Point Lighthouse Museum, the Old Jail Museum, and the Drayden African American Schoolhouse. 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, please visit: museums.stmarysmd.com.